


1 Night (+9 Months)

by theartofbeinganerd



Series: 1 Night (+9 Months) Series [1]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Because Leopold Fitz is Just One Big Ball of Angst, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Light Angst, Mutual Pining, One Night Stand AU, Slow Burn, Unplanned Pregnancy, briefly at least
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-31
Updated: 2017-07-23
Packaged: 2018-11-07 03:29:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 49,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11050377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theartofbeinganerd/pseuds/theartofbeinganerd
Summary: After a drunken night with the best man at her friend Bobbi's wedding, an embarrassed Jemma would be happy never to see him again - unfortunately, life seems determined to keep them in each other's lives...in the most permanent way possible.[A series of interconnecting one shots, first posted in my fic collection]





	1. Part One

**Author's Note:**

> Since these stories seem to be so popular, I figured I'd just start posting them all in the same fic. This isn't a whole story! It'll still be one shots, each featuring a different glimpse into this universe, but they should all still be in chronological order.

“ _So you’re sure you can’t make it?_ ” The pout was clear in Daisy’s voice, even coming from the tinny speakers of Jemma’s phone, where it was resting on her desk a few feet away.

“I’m sorry, Daisy, but I’m positive. This project is too important, not to mention time-sensitive. If I didn’t skip tonight, I’d have to miss tomorrow’s rehearsal dinner, and I think that’s a bit more important.” It was as much as she’d already explained to Daisy, but it hadn’t put a stop to the nearly endless pleading.

“ _But come_ on _Jemma! How often do you get a chance to go out, get drunk, and do something stupid? Plus, Hunter’s for sure gonna make a fool of himself, and that’s not something you want to miss._ ”

Jemma sighed heavily, lifting her head away from her microscope in order to close her tired eyes and rest her forehead in one of her palms. “Daisy, I’m sorry, but I really can’t come tonight. But the best man and I have arranged everything, and I promise you it’ll be a night to remember. Or…not, as it were.”

When Jemma’s old university roommate and close friend, Bobbi Morse, had suddenly announced months ago that she was engaged to her on-again off-again boyfriend Lance Hunter, Jemma had been leery from the start. After all, the two had never been what one would call a “stable couple”, but when Bobbi had asked her to be maid of honor, she had accepted and promised herself to support her friend no matter what.

Unfortunately, the lead-up to the wedding had happened to coincide with a hugely important project in the lab where she worked, and the combined stress of the two had had her nearly dead on her feet for weeks now. Thankfully, the project would be finished come morning, just in time for her to focus her attention on the rehearsal dinner and the wedding itself the following day.

Daisy, however, seemed to think it was more important that Jemma drop everything to attend Bobbi and Hunter’s combined bachelor/bachelorette party that night (planned as such because, as Bobbi so bluntly put it, Hunter was not to be trusted unsupervised with alcohol in the mix).

“ _How did you manage that_?” Daisy asked incredulously. “ _I thought you’d never met before_.”

“We haven’t,” Jemma answered tiredly, rubbing her aching eyes with her thumb and forefinger. “We’ve been emailing.” Finally having had enough, she lifted her head and picked up her phone, switching off the speakerphone and holding it up to her ear. “Daisy, the longer you waste my time unsuccessfully trying to convince me to leave my work for the night, the longer it’s going to take me to _finish_ said work. I promise you, as soon I no longer have to worry about this project or the wedding, I will get blindingly drunk with you and make up for tonight. Are we clear?”

Daisy gave an exaggerated sigh, but her tone was contradictorily bright as she replied, “ _As crystal, Jem. I’m holding you to that, believe me. Alright, I’ve gotta go get dressed for some clubbing, so I’ll see you tomorrow._ ”

“I’ll be the one with the coffee and aspirin.”

“ _What would we do without you?_ ”

“Suffer terrible hangovers,” Jemma answered simply. “Remember to drink lots of water, stay safe, and have fun. Oh, and make sure Bobbi does as well – and that Hunter doesn’t have _too_ much.”

“ _I think that’s the best man’s job, but I’ll do my best to help. Love ya, Jem!”_

As the call disconnected, Jemma shook her head with a fond sigh and dove back into her work, determined to have it finished before the sun rose the next morning – when she’d have to go straight into wedding madness.

She really _was_ going to have to let Daisy take her drinking after all of this, or else she was afraid she’d forget what the word ‘fun’ meant.

-

Two days later, Jemma no longer had work hanging over her, but she was no less stressed for it. The wedding was due to start in an hour, and she’d seen neither hide nor hair of the mysterious best man, who had also been absent for the rehearsal dinner the previous night (and had apparently ditched out early on the bachelor party, according to Daisy). Hunter had assured her that he’d make it today, but as the time ticked away, Jemma was growing less and less sure that she could trust Hunter’s word.

Of course, she’d been careful to keep any mention of the issue from Bobbi, but as she was getting dressed in the deep blue bridesmaid dress Bobbi had picked for her and Daisy, she couldn’t help her wandering thoughts. What the hell were they supposed to do if the best man was a no show? Did he have the rings? Would the entire wedding come to a halt if there were no rings?

She was startled out of her thoughts when there was a sharp rap on the door of the bathroom she’d disappeared to so that Bobbi wouldn’t catch wind of her mini-panic attack. It was closely followed by an unsure voice calling, “Uh…Jemma? It’s me, Fitz. The, um…the best man?”

Breathing out sharply in something between relief and irritation, Jemma stomped over and flung the door open to find a wide-eyed man on the other side, holding up his hands as though he was warding off a wild animal. He was a little taller than her with close-cropped curls and a stubbly little beard, as well as a very nice pair of blue eyes and an even nicer tux closely-cut to his body.

The man, Fitz, opened his mouth, no doubt about to spew some bullshit excuse for his lateness, but she was having _none_ of that.

“It’s about damn _time_ ,” she hissed, leaning forward to peer over his shoulder into the thankfully empty hallway before yanking him into the bathroom with her. He yelped in surprise, but she ignored it. “I don’t care where you were or what you were doing, all I care about is making sure today goes off without a hitch, because Bobbi deserves it, alright?”

Fitz blinked a couple times, gaping at her in complete disbelief. But, when she narrowed her eyes in a fierce glare, he gulped audibly and nodded in understanding.

“Good. Now, do you have the rings? Hunter’s vows?”

Fitz quickly emptied out his pockets, and after unearthing a cell phone, a half-empty pack of gum, and a set of keys, he finally set the velvet ring box and folded slip of paper down on the counter between them. When he continued patting his pockets, however, Jemma glanced at him in question. “Oh, uh, I guess I forgot my wallet,” he explained sheepishly, hurriedly shoving the items back into his pockets. As he was doing so, he shot her a quick glance out of the corner of his eye and cleared his throat, then asked awkwardly, “Did you…um…need help with your zipper, or…?”

“What?” Confused, Jemma glanced down at herself, and gasped sharply when she realized that he’d knocked on the door when she’d been in process of doing up the zipper on the back of her dress. Without her notice, the front had begun to sag, exposing _far_ more of her breasts and her strapless lacy black bra than it should. “ _Shit_!” Tugging the neckline back into its proper place, Jemma felt her cheeks beginning to burn with a rather intense blush and she spun away from Fitz to hide her embarrassment. “Just…just go, alright? I’ve got it, don’t worry.”

Fitz seemed to hesitate, but then she heard his footsteps heading toward the door, followed by the sound of it opening and closing. When she was finally alone, Jemma leaned heavily against the wall and groaned pitifully.

This wedding couldn’t be over soon enough.

-

Bobbi and Hunter had finally said ‘I do’, the whole ceremony had gone perfectly to plan (aside from Hunter’s eye-roll-worthy vows, which included ill-humored jokes and reminders of how attractive he found his new bride), and all that was left to survive was the reception before she could finally _relax_ for the first time in months.

“ _Or_ ,” Daisy offered pointedly when Jemma had said as much to her, “you could relax _now_. C’mon, the reception is really just one big party, and you _did_ promise to get drunk with me.”

“I promised to get drunk with you _after_ the wedding was over, actually,” Jemma corrected, idly twisting the stem of her glass of barely-touched champagne between her fingers.

“ _Technically_ , the wedding _is_ over.” When Jemma’s only answer was a glare, Daisy groaned in defeat. “Okay, fine, whatever. But, you have to have at least one drink stronger than champagne, alright? You need to unwind, Jem.”

Jemma mulled over the potential compromise, but could see nothing wrong with it, so she nodded in acceptance. “Alright, that sounds reasonable. I’ll be right back, then.”

She left a grinning Daisy behind at their table as she headed over to the open bar, leaning her elbows on the counter as she waited for the bartender to finish with the small group of people at the other end of the bar. The laminated list of the wedding’s specialty drinks (that she’d put together, of course) was set up just to her right, and she rolled her eyes as she remembered how _sick_ they’d all been the morning after trying drink combination after drink combination to find the perfect ones.

Then she caught sight of someone hunched over on a bar stool just beyond the list, and a frown tugged at her lips as she noticed a rather unhappy-looking Fitz downing a drink that had him wincing. Confused and more than a little irritated at the sight (he was due to give a speech at some point tonight, after all), Jemma abandoned her spot and strode over. “What’s your problem, then? Didn’t get drunk enough Friday night?”

Fitz was clearly startled by her abrupt appearance, but it wasn’t long before his miserable expression set back in. “M’not in the mood. Just wanna forget for a bit.”

“Forget _what_? Your responsibilities as a best man? To not even show _up_ to the rehearsal dinner, then to nearly be late for the wedding itself wasn’t enough?” She knew she was being a bit harsh, but if he was Hunter’s friend, then he likely just needed a firm hand to keep him in line as well.

Fitz didn’t seem to appreciate her efforts, though, and he threw a frosty glare in her direction as he snapped, “Look, I’m trying my best, okay? Give me a break, my bloody grandmother died, I quite literally _just_ went to her funeral, and I just need a few goddamn minutes. Is that alright with you?”

“Oh my _god_.” Jemma slapped both hands over her mouth to try and stifle her gasp, her wide eyes almost immediately beginning to burn with tears. “Oh Fitz, I…I’m so sorry, I had no idea. Truly, I would never have… I’m so _sorry_.”

Fitz sighed heavily, his shoulders rising and falling with it, then he gave her a weak smile and shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. I’m sorry for snapping.” He nodded to the empty stool beside him and offered hopefully, “If you promise not to cry and make me feel even worse, I’ll buy you a drink.”

“It’s…it’s an open bar,” Jemma pointed out, blinking back the tears before they ruined her makeup.

He made a face, then rolled his eyes. “Okay, whatever, it’s a figure of speech. D’you wanna get drunk with me?”

She chewed her lip as she thought it over, but she’d just come off of a time-consuming work project, helping to plan a wedding, and now insulting a man who had just lost his grandmother. She figured she’d be doing them all a favor by taking the edge off just a bit.

With that in mind, she climbed onto the stool beside him and met his little smile with one of her own. “You’re on, Fitz.”

What was _not_ helpful to any one at all, ever, though, was how Jemma woke up the next morning – stark naked in what had to be a hotel room, draped across Fitz’s bare chest, her head pounding and her mouth tasting vaguely of bile.

Well, at least he must’ve forgiven her for being so rude at the wedding, then.

-

Things had gone back to normal after that, when the wedding was finally off of her shoulders and Hunter and Bobbi had been seen safely off to their honeymoon. However, the calm didn’t last for very long, as it was a mere month and a half later that Jemma found herself sitting on the edge of the bathtub in Daisy’s apartment, absently toying with a skinny stick of plastic.

She’d spent the past week having terrible bouts of nausea that _hadn’t_ turned into the flu as she’d expected, and instead had come accompanied with an increasingly sensitive bladder and all-but crippling exhaustion. Jemma was far from brainless, and she’d immediately purchased a handful of tests and appeared at her best friend’s doorstep far earlier in the morning than she would have under normal circumstances.

Daisy’s crankiness had only lasted for mere moments once she’d caught a glimpse of the panic Jemma was trying so desperately to hide. Now, even though she was still in her pajamas, she was perched on the edge of the tub beside Jemma, clearly still in shock, but completely supportive.

“So, you banged the best man,” she stated, shaking her head slowly. “ _Whoa_. Talk about cliché, Jem.”

Jemma groaned, dropping her head to rest in one of her hands. “Daisy, you’re not helping.”

“Sorry, sorry. Just still totally shocked. I mean, you never said anything. Like, I saw you guys cozying up together and I guess I should’ve seen it coming from how _carefree_ you seemed to be that night, but… _wow_.” She paused, then turned to Jemma, her brow furrowed curiously. “Was he any good?”

“ _Daisy_!”

“What?!”

“Please, can we focus here?”

“Fine, fine.” She pursed her lips thoughtfully, then asked gently, “Have you seen him since the wedding?”

Jemma shook her head miserably. “After Bobbi and Hunter got back from their honeymoon, they invited us both over for dinner to thank us, but I backed out at the last moment because I was too embarrassed to see him again.”

Daisy gave her a sympathetic smile, reaching out to gently squeeze her hand. “Looks like you’re gonna _have_ to, Jem.”

With that, she pointedly tapped the positive pregnancy test Jemma was still fidgeting nervously with, identical to the other positive tests spread out on the bathroom counter across from them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can also find me on tumblr - I'm theartofbeinganerd over there as well!


	2. Part Two

“Oh my _god_! This is the cutest thing I’ve ever _seen_!”

Jemma glanced up from the line of strollers and car seats she’d been inspecting to find Daisy waving the tiniest little pink dress she’d ever laid eyes on. “ _Daisy_ ,” she sighed in fond exasperation, “It could very well be a boy. You do remember that, right?”

“Well _yeah_ , but I’ve just got this feeling,” Daisy insisted, shaking the dress once more. “Plus, all the cutest clothes are for girls, and I wanna spoil my honorary niece by buying her the biggest little baby wardrobe ever.”

“That she’ll wear for a few months before growing out of it all,” Jemma reminded her. “If you want to help, you can read up on the cribs in the next aisle and figure out which is the best in regards to safety, efficiency, and quality.”

Daisy groaned, dropping her head back dramatically. “You mean _boring_ stuff? You know, you wouldn’t be having to drag me along on all of these baby errands if you’d just _call_ Fitz and tell him he knocked you up.”

Jemma made a face, quickly turning away from Daisy and pretending to be engrossed in the product information accompanying the closest stroller. “Oh, well, I think the time for that has passed, Daisy. It’s been three months, I can’t exactly ring him now and say, ‘oh by the way, you’re going to be a father, sorry for keeping you in the dark all this time’. I mean, I don’t have a valid excuse for doing so.”

“You were _scared_ , Jem. He’s gonna understand, I promise. Fitz seems like a really good guy. I think he’d _want_ to know.” Daisy’s tone was genuine, but Jemma still couldn’t quite believe it.

Regardless, she offered Daisy a weak smile and nodded. “Yes, I know.” Unsettled by the knowing quirk of Daisy’s eyebrow, she quickly turned back to the strollers and said, “I should be done for now. After all, I do have another six months to figure this all out.”

“Alright,” Daisy agreed slowly, eyeing her speculatively for a moment. “I just need to put this adorable little dress back.”

“And I actually need to make a trip to the ladies’ room.” Jemma rubbed her bulging little baby bump with a sigh. “They’re on my bladder again.”

Daisy chuckled, patting Jemma’s arm sympathetically. “Gotcha. I’ll meet you outside then.”

With that, they briefly went their separate ways in the big-box store not far from Daisy’s apartment, though Jemma had no doubt that Daisy would somehow end up getting sidetracked by junk food or the bikini sale they’d passed on their way to the baby section.

It was a few minutes later, when Jemma was leaving the restroom, that she happened to pass through the book section on her way to the exit. She paused, perusing the small selection of maternity books the store offered. She was leafing through one she hadn’t read yet when she heard a startled call of, “Jemma?”

She whirled around at the sound of her name, and couldn’t believe her eyes when she found none other than _Fitz_ standing at the end of the aisle. His jaw was hanging slack, and his wide eyes were focused right on the baby bump very visible in her stretched t-shirt.

_Of all the people in the world to run into…_

Clearing her throat and casually replacing the book she’d been skimming, Jemma forced a smile and greeted politely, “Hello Fitz. How have you been?”

He blinked a couple of times, gaping at her incredulously. Then, finally, he seemed to find his words, though they didn’t quite form a complete thought. “What are you… How can you… I can’t… _What_?”

She chewed her bottom lip, anxiously wringing her hands in front of her. “I…I’m sorry.” It was all she could think of to say.

Fitz seemed to pale at her apology, reaching out to steady himself on the nearest shelf. “So it…it is…” He trailed off, apparently unable to verbally finish the thought, and instead gestured jerkily with his free hand toward himself.

Jemma winced, hooking her hands nervously around her neck even as she nodded slightly in answer. “Yes,” she confirmed quietly.

“Holy _shit_.” The shelf now seemed to be the only thing holding him up, and it didn’t appear to be the sturdiest surface. Worriedly, Jemma took a couple steps closer, automatically reaching out to offer support. However, Fitz absently waved it away, taking a couple of deep breaths. After a moment, he dropped his eyes to the floor between them and asked lowly, “Why didn’t you… I mean, Bobbi has my number, she would’ve given it to you.”

“She…um…she did,” Jemma admitted uncomfortably, “when I asked for it three months ago.” Fitz glanced up sharply at the admission, and she hastened to explain, “I nearly called you _dozens_ of times, you have to believe me. But, every time I went to dial your number, panic would wash over me and I was…I was afraid of what might happen, afraid that this development would be an unwelcome one. I suppose…not knowing was easier than finding out with absolute certainty that it was.”

His gaze softened at that, and he blew out a quiet breath and reluctantly released the shelf to take a step closer to her. “You shouldn’t have worried, Jemma. I mean, I know we…well, barely know each other, but I’d never do that, okay? I’m not that kind of guy.”

“I didn’t think you were,” she insisted, “but the tiny fear that I was wrong was enough to stop me from telling you. I truly am sorry. It wasn’t fair of me to keep this from you.”

With a slight smile quirking his lips, Fitz waved away her apology. “I mean, I get it, don’t worry.” Pausing there, he reached up to rub the back of his neck uncomfortably. “Are you…uh…have you made… _decisions_?”

“I’m keeping it, if that’s what you’re asking.” Jemma shifted uncomfortably, one hand automatically rising to press against her stomach.

“Okay. Okay, um…d’you…uh…know…” He trailed off, gesturing to her stomach as though that would somehow finish his sentence.

“The gender?” she guessed, and Fitz nodded gratefully. “No, not yet. I’ll be far enough along to know in a couple more weeks.”

“Ah.” Fitz awkwardly wrung his hands together, obviously searching for anything else he might need to know. “Oh! Uh, when are you, uh…due?”

“October.”  When he simply nodded, soaking the information in, Jemma cleared her throat and started uncomfortably, “Fitz…you don’t need to feel obligated, or –”

“I _don’t_!” Fitz hastily cut in to exclaim. “Trust me! I mean, yeah, this is a weird situation and I’m kinda still in shock right now, but…but it’s…it’s my kid, you know? It’s my responsibility. You don’t just abandon your kids like that.” His tone was surprisingly impassioned as he spoke the last sentence, and Jemma had feeling that there was something more than obligation behind it.

Seeing his sincerity, she smiled warmly and reached out to squeeze his arm in gratitude, though she was sure it couldn’t truly convey how relieved she was to find that Fitz wanted to be a part of their child’s life, that she would no longer have to do this all alone. “Alright. Why don’t I give you my number then? Oh, and the date and time of my next appointment.” Realizing immediately that she might’ve taken too many steps too soon, she quickly backtracked and corrected, “Well, if you want to come, that is.”

“I do,” Fitz quickly assured her, nodding. “I’ll be there, I promise.”

Jemma bit her lip to stop a huge smile from breaking through as she entered her number into his phone, along with the details of her next appointment. “We’ll be finding out the sex that day,” she explained as she handed his phone back.

Fitz’s eyes lit up and he asked excitedly, “Yeah? Good, ‘cause my mum’ll likely want to get to knitting little baby booties and blankets, and she’ll want to know whether she can cover ‘em in flowers or not.”

“I’m sure the baby wouldn’t care either way,” Jemma replied with a quiet laugh, though she was more than a bit preoccupied by the fact that Fitz was excited to tell his mother he was having a baby with a woman he’d slept with on a one night stand. Or, perhaps, she was just preoccupied by how excited he was to be having a baby in _general_. It was making her heart beat unevenly, warmth trickling from her chest out into her extremities.

“You’re probably right.” Fitz shoved his hands into his pockets and gave her a slightly awkward smile. “I’ll…uh…I’ll see you then, I guess. And feel free to call or text me if you ever need anything – I mean it, anything, even like… pickles or freshly squeezed orange juice in the middle of the night or something, and I’ll get you it.”

Jemma’s heart swelled with affection, and she couldn’t help her soft smile as she teasingly assured him, “Oh, I’ll be sure to make use of that offer then. You’ll regret making it soon enough.” Knowing that Daisy was waiting on her (even though, strangely, Jemma didn’t quite feel ready to say goodbye to Fitz), she told him, “I’ll see you soon. Goodbye, Fitz.”

“See you.” Fitz gave her a little wave, then adorably enough, he then waved to her baby bump. “And I’ll see _you_ soon, too.”

Pressing her lips together to keep from…bursting into tears or giggling uncontrollably or whatever _something_ was bubbling up in her chest, Jemma returned the wave and left the aisle, heading for the exit and to where Daisy was waiting.

Once outside, she was quick to find Daisy on a nearby bench, focused entirely on her phone. When Jemma perched on the bench beside her, though, she looked up and groaned in relief. “ _Finally_. Did it really take that long to pee? Jesus Jemma, you could’ve gone before we left my apartment you know.”

Jemma rolled her eyes at Daisy, though she couldn’t seem to rid herself of the smile plastered firmly on her lips.

“And…what’s with the goofy grin? What the hell happened, Simmons?”

As Jemma spilled the whole story to Daisy, that warmth that had permeated her whole body during her conversation with Fitz didn’t seem to be going away. And the strangest thing of all, there was a fluttering feeling in her stomach, like butterflies taking wing inside of her (though there was hardly room for them in there, what with the baby she was housing and all).

Somehow, Jemma was getting the feeling that things were going to turn out much better than she could’ve ever hoped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can also find me on tumblr - I'm theartofbeinganerd over there as well!


	3. Part Three

Jemma knew it was far past the time she should be asleep – after all, she had her appointment at the OBGYN tomorrow morning, but for the life of her she couldn’t seem to get to sleep. Which, of course, was ridiculous, since she’d spent most of the day utterly exhausted, but apparently this was her luck, so she couldn’t exactly be surprised.

She’d been texting with Fitz not too long ago, hammering out the details for tomorrow of where and when they’d meet, but after she’d mentioned that she was seriously craving an ice cream sundae, he’d stopped replying and she figured he’d fallen asleep.

_Traitor._

Sighing heavily and flopping from her left side to her right, Jemma tried to parse out whether it was said craving or thoughts about tomorrow that was keeping her awake. Sure, she was hoping to hear that the baby was healthy and of course, was excited to find out the gender (especially so that she could get Daisy off her back about baby clothes), but she didn’t think that was what had her staring blankly at her window, watching the light from passing cars peeking through the blinds.

Before she could continue struggling to figure out her feelings, however, she was startled out of her thoughts by a knock issuing from her front door.

Confused, Jemma pushed herself up into a sitting position, throwing a quick look at her phone to see if she had a message from Daisy or Bobbi saying they were dropping by, but there was nothing. It was far too late for anyone else she knew to pay her a visit, so who…?

Climbing out of bed and leaving her bedroom, Jemma cautiously approached the door, going up on the tips of her toes to peer through the peephole. In the dim light of the hallway outside her flat, she saw _Fitz_ of all people anxiously fidgeting outside her door.

Quickly, she undid the locks and pulled the door open to reveal an awkwardly smiling Fitz, one hand hidden behind his back. “Uh…hey,” he greeted.

“Hi,” she replied absently, blinking a couple times to make sure she hadn’t imagined him. “What are you…? How did you even…?”

“I…uh…got your address from Hunter, I hope that’s okay.” He nervously shifted from foot-to-foot, then pulled his hand out from behind his back, revealing a cup with a fast food logo printed on the side, whipped cream and a cherry peeking out the top. “I brought you that ice cream sundae.”

And promptly, Jemma burst into tears.

“Oh god, don’t… I didn’t… I’m sorry,” Fitz stuttered out hastily, setting the ice cream sundae down on a nearby decorative table and stepping closer as though to comfort her, but his hands just flailed about awkwardly. “I didn’t mean to make you cry,” he said miserably.

“You… It’s just… I…” Jemma wasn’t doing much better, her voice breaking under the strain of her tears as she gestured helplessly between Fitz and the sundae. “You didn’t _have_ to…I mean, it’s late and…” Her bottom lip began to tremble, and she all-but wailed out, “It’s too late for ice cream!”

It wasn’t what she’d _meant_ to say – she’d meant to say that it was far too late for Fitz to be running out to get her sundaes she didn’t need (especially for a woman he barely knew), but she supposed it sufficed well enough.

He chuckled, looking clearly relieved that the problem was so simple and smiling warmly as he reached out to place a gentle hand on her upper arm. “Hey, that’s not true; it’s _never_ too late for ice cream. Well, unless it’s all melted, of course, so you should probably dig in soon, yeah?” With that, he picked it back up, digging a spoon with a plastic covering out of his pocket and holding them both out to her.

Sniffling back her quickly fading tears, Jemma smiled and gratefully took the sundae and spoon from him. “Thank you,” she murmured sincerely.

“No problem.” He waved off her gratitude, shrugging and sliding his hands into his pockets. “I told you I’d get you anything you needed, remember? I’ve gotta make up for…” He pulled one hand back out to gesture toward her bulging stomach. “Y’know, getting you pregnant without asking and all that.” He smiled wryly, rolling his eyes at himself. “It was _my_ fault for forgetting my wallet and not having a condom, after all.”

Pressing her lips together to hide her amused grin, Jemma shrugged one shoulder. “It’s alright, I don’t mind.” Then, letting a couple of chuckles slip through, she tacked on with a smirk, “And…well, even if you’d had a condom, we’d only have been protected that first time – what about the other two?”

Fitz’s jaw dropped open, his eyebrows darting up his forehead, and she was positively delighted to see a blush crawling up the length of his pasty neck. “Uh…I um…that’s a very good point. Yes. Uh…”

Biting her lip to hold back her laughter, she arched an eyebrow and asked, “Would you like to come in, Fitz? You did come all this way, even if it is just to watch a pregnant lady devour an ice cream sundae.”

Fitz blinked a couple of times in clear surprise, but a smile quickly curved his lips. “Yeah, sure.” He stepped further into her flat, closing the front door behind him and following her to the living room. She perched on her couch, cross-legged, and as Fitz sat down on her armchair, she noticed him glancing around curiously.

Finally, she tore open the plastic covering of the spoon and dug into her sundae, lifting a whipped-cream-covered spoonful to her mouth. She hummed in pleasant surprise and asked, “How did you know I wanted chocolate?”

He tore his gaze away from her positively stuffed bookshelf, turning to her with that endearing, splotchy little blush on his cheeks once more. “Oh, uh, it was just a guess, really – my mum’s always talking about how it was all she craved when she was pregnant with me. Claims it’s why I’ve got such a sweet tooth now, actually.”

For some reason, the idea that Jemma’s craving for chocolate ice cream came from _Fitz_ had her pausing as that foreign, warm, tingly sensation only he ever seemed inspire in her returned. _Of course_ she was a biologist; she knew how genetics worked better than most, so she obviously knew that half of her baby’s genetics came from him. But, at the physical _reminder_ of it, she couldn’t help but find herself taken aback.

Trying to sound relatively normal, however, Jemma cleared her throat and asked, “Any other cravings I should know about, then?”

Fitz squinted, pursing his lips as he thought the question over, then shrugged with an apologetic smile. “Uh…lots and lots of sugar?”

“Oh fantastic,” she sighed teasingly. “Your baby’s trying to fatten me up, then.”

He arched an amused eyebrow. “Oh, so it’s _my_ baby now?”

“Yes, it very much is _your_ baby when they’re making me gobble down ice cream sundaes like I haven’t eaten in _days_.” Pressing the back of her hand to her mouth to hide her giggles, Jemma tilted her cup toward Fitz to show him that it was already empty.

Fitz’s eyes grew wide, and he let out a disbelieving laugh. “Dear god, where did you _put_ all of that?”

Giving a sharp laugh of surprise, Jemma flicked her spoon at him. Despite her aim being completely off, he still raised his hands defensively, which only made her laugh harder. “Hey, I’m feeding your _child_! Who, apparently, craves only sugar and empty calories.”

“I couldn’t be prouder, actually.” Fitz had a big, adorably wide smile on his face, and Jemma quickly pressed her lips together to hide the answering ridiculous grin that was beginning to spread across her face. “Well, ‘cept maybe if they ended up being a prodigy, but we’ll see how it goes.” He frowned at himself, then hastily said, “Which is of course a joke; I’d be just as proud any way it shakes out, really.”

Jemma’s eyebrows rose in surprised interest at his mention of prodigies. Ignoring his following awkwardness, and unable to help her curiosity, she asked, “I feel rather…strange asking this while I’m already five months pregnant with your child, but…what is it that you do, Fitz?”

He was clearly taken aback by the question. “Oh…don’t you remember? We talked about it at the wedding – I remember you saying you were a biochemist. Actually, you spent quite a bit of time talking about your projects, which were quite fascinating, by the way.”

“We…did, didn’t we?” As she searched her brain, Jemma winced, offering him a slightly awkward smile. “It has something to do with…machines? I think? The talking is a bit more…fuzzy than the…” She trailed off, and they both cleared their throats, shifting uncomfortably and looking anywhere but at each other.

“I’m…um…an engineer, actually. I work in R&D for a branch of Stark Industries,” he explained, absently wringing his hands in his lap.

Braving to meet Fitz’s gaze, she leaned forward excitedly to ask, “Really? I would’ve thought I’d remember meeting a fellow scientist, no matter how much tequila he’d pumped into me.”

“Yeah, well…” He shrugged, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck as he admitted with an embarrassed laugh, “I remember you being pretty impressed, but it probably slipped your mind, since you were apparently so impressed that you had to…uh…”

The memory she was almost positive he was referring to popped up in her mind then, and Jemma released a mortified groan as covered her face with a hand. “Did I feel you up?”

“Er…something like that, yeah.”

She groaned again, the sound muffled by her hand. “I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, like I _minded_.”

Once more avoiding each other’s eyes, there was further throat-clearing as Jemma’s gaze darted around her living room, searching desperately for something to change the subject to. However, when it landed on her clock and she saw the time, she gasped. “I didn’t even _realize_ … It’s so late and you no doubt have work bright and early tomorrow. I’m keeping you up, aren’t I?”

“No, hey, don’t worry about that,” Fitz insisted, shaking his head. “I actually…um, well I just ended up taking the whole day off tomorrow, even though you said the appointments don’t usually last very long. I figured I’d rather be safe than sorry, yeah?”

Jemma’s heartbeat stuttered in her chest as it finally hit her just how _seriously_ he was taking this, how important it seemed to truly be to him. When she’d first gotten pregnant, she couldn’t have _imagined_ that any guy that had had a drunken one night stand with a woman he’d just met that day would be so willing to be involved in their child’s life.

But, she supposed, Fitz was unlike anyone she’d ever met before – how was it fair of her to judge him without even really knowing him herself?

What she _could_ say, though, was that she found herself very much looking forward to _getting_ to know him. They did have the next eighteen years to do so, after all.

-

When Jemma cracked open her tired eyes the next morning, she was rather confused to find herself lying on the couch in her living room instead of in her bed, but then her gaze landed on her armchair and it all made sense.

Fitz was asleep sitting at an awkward angle, one leg hooked over an arm of the chair, and his upper body half-draped over the other arm. A strangely fond little smile tugged at Jemma’s lips as she pushed herself up into a sitting position, and as she stood and stretched a bit, she decided to let him sleep a bit longer.

But, she’d taken only two steps in the direction of her bathroom when an alarm began going off on his phone, and he flailed awake, glancing around himself in bewilderment. “Wha? Huh? Where…” Then, his wide eyes fell upon Jemma and her amused grin, and he flushed. “Oh. Uh…good morning?”

“Good morning, Fitz.” Unable to help herself, she tacked on teasingly, “Well, this is a nice change of pace, waking up together with all of our clothes still on.”

Fitz groaned, dragging a hand over his face and fumbling for his phone to turn his continually beeping alarm off. “S’too early for jokes.” He dropped his head against the back of the armchair, running his fingers through his slightly mussed curls as he asked worriedly, “Did you sleep okay? ‘Cause after you fell asleep on the couch, I was gonna try and…y’know, carry you to your bed or something, but I was afraid I was gonna do something dumb like drop you or whatever, so I hope it was okay.” He made a face, and hurriedly added, “And I hope it was okay that I accidentally fell asleep before I could leave like I’d planned. I really didn’t mean to intrude.”

Feeling that nameless fluttery feeling in her stomach again, she absently hugged her arms around herself, as though to keep the butterflies from escaping. “It’s fine, Fitz. Perfectly fine.”

He smiled in relief, nodding. “Okay. Okay, good.”

After that, Jemma got dressed for the day, making sure to grab an apple and granola bar for breakfast as they were out the door. They then made a quick run over to Fitz’s flat, so that he could change before they arrived at her appointment. She could tell he was nervous, his foot tapping consistently and his hands wringing in his lap as they sat in the waiting room, then in the exam room, and keeping him calm did wonders to ease the nerves she’d been feeling the night before.

And, as such, it didn’t even feel as though much time had passed before she was lying back on the exam table, gel spread over her exposed stomach as the ultrasound tech ran the sensor over her skin – and then, an image appeared on the fuzzy, black and white screen.

“See?” Jemma murmured to Fitz, a warm smile curving her lips as she pointed, “There’s our baby.”

Fitz released a long, slow breath, and she tore her eyes away from the ultrasound to check on him, to make sure he wasn’t freaking out or something. After all, he’d hardly had as much time as her to get used to the idea, and it could be truly hitting him for the first time.

However, instead of wide eyes rounded with fear, she found them filled with tears and a wobbly smile slowly spreading across his face.

“That’s really…that’s the baby, isn’t it? They’re really in there,” he whispered, giving a breathless, disbelieving little laugh as he wiped away an escaped tear.

“Yeah,” she murmured, reaching out to find one of his hands with hers and give it a supportive squeeze. “They really are.”

It was then that the tech asked warmly, “Would you like to know the sex?”

Turning back to face the woman, Jemma smiled excitedly and nodded. “Yes please.”

The tech turned to the screen, moving the sensor down a bit until she murmured, “Ah, there we are. Congratulations, you two, you’re having a baby girl.”

“A _girl_ ,” Jemma breathed, blinking a couple of times as she pressed her free hand to her brilliant grin. “Fitz…” She turned her head back to meet his eyes, and her smile somehow managed to grow at the look on his face.

“My mum will be so happy,” Fitz mumbled, still looking rather awed and dazed, “she always wanted a little girl in the family.”

“So will Daisy,” she admitted with a watery laugh, giving his hand another tight squeeze. When he turned to her with a proud, beaming grin, she whispered, “Thank you.”

His eyebrows rose, and he quickly shook his head. “No. No, thank _you_. Just…you’re incredible, you know that?”

She gave a little shake of her head. “Let’s just say that together, we’ve _created_ something incredible.”

“Yeah, I can live with that.”

They shared a smile then, something passing between them in that moment, and Jemma knew that no matter where her live went from that day, what she had with Fitz was something she’d never be able to replicate or reproduce. She didn’t know quite what it meant yet, but the feeling bubbling up inside of her told her that this could only ever be something good.

Or, something _incredible_.


	4. Part Four

Why was there never _anything_ on TV in the middle of a weekday?

Jemma let out a quiet, disgruntled groan as she flicked through another daytime soap opera, then a handful of reality show re-runs, followed by a game show from the seventies. Finally, she simply gave up and just turned it off. What in the _world_ was she supposed to do for the five months if she had to spend her weekdays out of the lab?

She’d hoped that she could squeeze in a bit more time at work, but being around the chemicals this far along in her pregnancy just wasn’t safe, and she’d had no choice but to take an extra-early maternity leave. For the first few days, she’d been ecstatic at the idea of all of the free time; however, the boredom quickly settled in – and that wasn’t even mentioning how much she missed the lab.

Jemma picked up her phone, scrolling through her contact list, but it quickly became clear that everyone she knew would be working at eleven thirty on a Tuesday. Then, she paused on Fitz’s name, chewing her lip before quickly tapping out a text.

_To: Fitz_  
_Distract me_

She didn’t expect an answer right away, given that she knew he was working as well. To her surprise, though, it was mere moments before a response was popping up.

_From: Fitz  
From what?_

_To: Fitz  
I’m bored and there’s nothing on TV_

His next response took a bit longer, but when she received it, Jemma’s brow furrowed in confusion.

_From: Fitz  
On my way over – got something to show you_

_To: Fitz  
Aren’t you working??_

_From: Fitz  
Lunch break_

And, sure enough, about ten minutes later, there was a knock on her front door. Jemma pushed herself up off the couch, hurrying over to open the door to find Fitz on the other side. He had a slightly bashful grin plastered on his face, and was holding something behind his back.

“Is this how I’m always going to find you when I open this door?” Jemma teased, thinking back to just the other night, when he’d shown up with an ice cream sundae to satisfy her midnight craving.

“Only if you’re lucky enough to be receiving gifts from me,” Fitz shot back, coming inside as Jemma stepped back. “Well…except, this one’s more for the baby.”

“Oh?” she asked, arching an intrigued brow.

A little flush crawled over his cheeks as he pulled his hand out from behind his back, holding out a little onesie with “Daddy’s Little Monkey” written under a smiling monkey holding a banana. “It’s even got a hat,” he pointed out with a beaming smile, tapping the tiny monkey hat pinned to the onesie.

“Oh Fitz, that’s adorable,” Jemma told him, a smile spreading across her face at the idea of him being so excited that he was already going out and purchasing baby clothes all on his own. “But I have to ask – why monkeys?”

He gave a little shrug, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. “I…well, I dunno, I just love monkeys.”

“I didn’t know that.” She sounded surprised to her own ears, but immediately she thought to herself that that was ridiculous – she’d had no reason to know about his love of monkeys before today. In fact, she truly knew next to nothing about him; were monkeys his favorite animal, or was there something he loved more? What was his favorite food? Where did he grow up? What was his favorite pastime as a child? Not liking the idea that she knew so very little about the father of her child, she decided that it was time to rectify that. “Fitz, do you have time to go to lunch with me?”

Fitz was clearly taken aback by the question, but he darted a glance down at his watch and answered, “Uh…yeah, actually. Why, are you hungry? Or craving something? Because I’ll get you whatever you need.”

Pressing her lips together to keep her smile from growing too wide with fondness, Jemma shook her head and admitted, “I think what we _both_ need is some time to sit down and get to know each other without alcohol in the mix.”

He huffed out a laugh, rolling his eyes at the mention of their drunken shenanigans. “Yeah, that’s a pretty good idea.”

Since it was such a nice day out, they walked the short distance to a nice little restaurant down the street from Jemma’s flat. After they’d placed their orders, Jemma settled into her side of the booth and requested, “Alright, tell me about yourself, Fitz.” At that moment, it _finally_ occurred to her that she had no idea what ‘Fitz’ even meant – was it short for something? His surname? A nickname? Aghast at the idea that she didn’t even know his real name, she hurriedly added, “Starting with your name, which can’t possibly just be ‘Fitz’.”

Fitz made a face, sinking a bit in his seat and groaning lowly. “No, you’re right, it’s not. Actually, uh…it’s Leopold.”

Her eyebrows quickly rose as she asked, “Are you serious?”

“Oh, as a heart attack. I’m sure you can imagine the teasing I endured as a child.” He shook his head mock-sadly. “I never had a chance with a name like _Leopold_.”

“And I’m sure it didn’t help that you were a science nerd – I know it didn’t help me.” Jemma’s lips twisted into a dry smile as she remembered the social outcast she’d been as a child, never quite fitting in with the other children, who were more interested in dolls, or sports, or silly little games.

Fitz smiled sympathetically, nodding. “Yeah, the amount of times I got beat up for _reading_ ; I went to school with bloody _cavemen_ , I swear.” He shook his head, as if shaking away the horrible childhood memories. “But, enough about school; you asked about me.”

And so, he went on to tell her about his mother, who seemed like an incredible, strong woman Jemma couldn’t wait to meet. He spoke about growing up in Glasgow, and even talked a bit about his grandmother – which, coincidentally, caused an idea to start forming in Jemma’s head, but she didn’t give voice to it yet.

Instead, she returned the favor, sharing what life had been like growing up in Sheffield with her parents; about her kind-hearted mother and practical father, and she even told him about her childhood scoliosis surgery and subsequently learning to love the stars.

By the time they’d finished lunch and were parting ways outside her building, Jemma felt as though she was finally beginning to break the surface and understand Fitz better. In a way, she couldn’t help but feel a bit…cheated that Bobbi had never introduced them before the wedding; she could imagine that she would’ve befriended Fitz almost immediately, without all of the awkwardness of having a child together _before_ getting to know each other.

“So, I’ll…see you soon, then?” Fitz asked, hesitating a bit by his car, as though he wasn’t ready to leave just yet.

Strangely enough, Jemma wasn’t quite ready for him to leave yet either. There was so much she still didn’t know, so many topics they hadn’t been able to cover over lunch, things she’d likely only learn the more time she spent in his company. She had to sudden urge to know everything there possibly was to know about Fitz, to find out every little fact and quirk and story he had to offer.

But, she knew he had to get back to work, she reluctantly nodded, taking a couple of steps back toward the door of her building. “Yes, soon. And feel free to text me _whenever_ ; I mean it, I’m bored out of my mind, Fitz.”

He chuckled, opening the door of his car and beginning to climb in. “I’ll see what I can do.” As he shut the door behind him, he quickly rolled the window down to call out, “Bye Jemma.”

“Goodbye Fitz.” Jemma gave a little wave as he pulled away from the curb, then sighed sadly as she turned and headed back to her flat by herself.

She couldn’t help but feel, oddly, as though she was even _lonelier_ now than she had been before.

-

 Some nights later, Jemma texted Fitz to come over after work, and he showed up as promised, bearing a package of Oreos (he said that it was for them to share, but they both knew that she’d end up gobbling down most of the cookies while he wasn’t looking). As he set them down on her counter, he asked curiously, “So, what did you need help with?”

“Come with me,” Jemma requested, leading him down the hall, to the spare bedroom she was planning to convert into a nursery. She picked up a paintbrush, and held it out to him. “Up for a little evening painting?”

Fitz laughed, accepting the paintbrush and glancing around the room. “Yeah, sure. What’s the occasion?”

She hefted the can of sunny, warm yellow paint she’d selected earlier that day, holding it out to him as she explained, “I want to get started on the nursery now, so I’m not painting and rearranging furniture when I’m roughly the size of a small whale.”

“ _Oh_.” He took the can of paint from her, tapping the dab of yellow paint on the lid. “I…um…I like the color; reminds me of a sunrise.”

“That’s what I was thinking,” Jemma admitted excitedly, “It represents a beginning, which a baby most certainly is.”

He shot another cursory look around the room as he set the can back down to begin tugging the lid off. “I’m sure she’s gonna love living here.”

It finally hit Jemma then that she was asking Fitz to help her paint the nursery for _their_ child – in _her_ flat. “Oh. Oh Fitz, I…” Anxiously, she hooked her hands around her neck, shifting from foot-to-foot. “Of _course_ you’re going to see her and spend time with her and –”

“Hey, hey, Jemma, wait,” Fitz hastily interrupted, standing from his kneel and holding his hands up to try and calm her down. “It’s okay, I understand – she’s gonna have to stay with you when she’s young, I know that. I’ll see her whenever I can, whenever you’ll let me, of course, and when she’s old enough, then we’ll talk about it, okay?”

“I’ll let you see her whenever you want,” Jemma assured him instantly. “I’ll _never_ keep her from you, Fitz. I promise you that.”

“I never thought that you would,” he told her sincerely, smiling softly as he reached out to give her shoulder a brief squeeze, then kneeled back down to pour the paint into a tray.

They spent the next couple of hours painting, though, much to her shame, Jemma ended up spending most of the time sitting cross-legged in the middle of the floor eating Oreos and critiquing Fitz’s painting technique. He was a good sport about it, taking her constant teasing about missing a spot good-naturedly, and he truly did do a wonderful job with it.

Finally, he dropped onto the floor beside her, exhausted. “Do I get a cookie for a job well done?”

Jemma winced, peering down into the empty package resting precariously on her rounded stomach. “Um…how about an IOU?”

Fitz arched a disbelieving eyebrow, hauling himself up into a sitting position to see the package for himself. “You seriously ate them _all_?”

“She’s _your_ daughter!” Jemma reminded him with a huff, shoving the empty package into his hands.

A wide, fond grin curled his lips as he nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, she is.” He was quiet a moment, surveying his handiwork, then offered, “Y’know, whenever you decide to, I’d be happy to help you with the shopping, picking out a crib and car seat and all of that. I mean, I’ll need to pick up a few things too, no doubt, and I’ll of course go in half with whatever you get.”

Quickly, she disagreed, “No, Fitz, you don’t need to –”

“’Course I do,” he insisted, “she’s my baby too, isn’t she?”

“Well, yes, obviously, but –”

“No buts about it.” He gave her a little smile, gently nudging her in the ribs with his elbow. “I don’t mind, okay? I’ve already told you that I’m willing to help in any way that I can.” He paused, looking a bit uncertain, then he admitted, “I’ve kind of…um…started on a crib for my flat, just in case, but if you want I can build one for you too. Might save you some money.”

Taken completely by surprise by his words, Jemma’s wasn’t prepared for the way her heart began to ache in her chest because it shouldn’t have to _be_ this way. It wasn’t fair that their child wouldn’t get to have the whole family that she deserved, that she’d never even have the chance to know what it would be like to have her parents together, all because they’d been drunk and stupid.

But, as she watched Fitz looking around the nursery once more with that awed, loving little smile he seemed to save only for their daughter, Jemma thought fiercely that despite all of that, their child couldn’t find two parents anywhere in the world who would love her more.

-

“What?! What is it? What’s wrong? I got here as quick as I could, but –”

Jemma tugged the frozen-with-panic Fitz further into her flat a couple of weeks later, shutting the door behind him as she quickly explained, “I’m fine, the baby’s fine; don’t worry, Fitz.” He breathed an audible sigh of relief, his shoulders sagging as he closed his eyes. “I’m sorry, when I texted you to come over right away, I didn’t think…”

“No, no, don’t apologize,” he said, waving a hand at her and shaking his head. “I was just jumping to conclusions.” Taking another deep, settling breath, he straightened up and reopened his eyes. “Alright, what _was_ so urgent that you had me come over at ten o’clock on a Saturday night?”

“Well, I was just reading one of my…” But, she trailed off as something occurred to her, and she turned to him with wide eyes. “Were you…were you busy? Did I take you away from something? Oh Fitz, I didn’t –”

“Oh god no.” He shook his head, smiling a bit self-deprecatingly. “I have no bloody social life, Jemma. The wedding was a one-off, I assure you.”

Jemma felt a surge of something almost like… _satisfaction_ at his answer, but she ignored it in favor of continuing with her explanation. “Well…alright then. So, anyway, I was reading one of my maternity books, and it just so happens that, as of today, the baby can hear things outside the womb. Of course, ever since I’ve been playing her classical music, but then it occurred to me – she needs to know our voices, so I asked you over so that we can speak to her, because she’ll _hear_ us, Fitz.” By the end of her explanation, she was bouncing excitedly on her toes, a beaming grin on her lips.

“She can…she can _hear_ us?” Fitz asked, his eyes wide and his voice soft with wonder.

She nodded, pleased to find that Fitz was as amazed at the prospect as she was. “Come on,” she said, grasping his hand to lead him down the hall toward her bedroom.

However, halfway there, he paused, which caused her to stop as well and glance back over her shoulder curiously. “ _Wait_ – what’re you…are we…is that…?”

Jemma heaved an exasperated sigh, rolling her eyes at him and tugging him along the rest of the way to her bedroom. “ _Fitz_ , it’s more comfortable for me to lie down on my bed, alright? And besides, it’s not like we’ve never shared a bed before.” She shot him a wry smile at that, climbing onto the bed and lying back against the pillows.

Hesitating for only another moment, Fitz kicked off his shoes, then got onto the bed beside her. He half-leaned over her protruding baby bump, then glanced at her a bit anxiously. “Is it…um…alright if I touch your stomach?”

For a moment, all Jemma could do was gape at him, because why would he…?

Then, she realized – in the almost two months that he’d known about her pregnancy, he hadn’t once touched her baby bump. Horror and guilt struck her as she suddenly understood that he must’ve been waiting for her _permission_ , even though she was carrying his _baby_. “Of course,” she told him hastily, not wanting him to think for one more moment that he wasn’t allowed to touch where she was housing their child.

Fitz gave her a shy, grateful little smile, then pressed his warm palm to her stomach and began whispering to their baby, “I’m sorry I’m a little late, but I promise I’ll make up for it. I’m always gonna be here if you need me, and even when you don’t, because that’s what a father _does_ ; they take care of their kids.” He paused there, taking a shaky breath, then went on, “I love you already and I can’t wait to meet you.” He shot a little look up at Jemma, then pecked the quickest little kiss on her stomach before leaning back.

Attempting to distract herself from the overpowering _something_ building inside of her, Jemma stumbled out the question that had been on her mind for some time, “Fitz…what happened with… I mean, where’s… You’ve never mentioned your father?”

He dropped his gaze to the blankets, his shoulders rising and falling with a heavy sigh. After a moment, he admitted quietly, “Well, I suppose you’re kind of inheriting the whole family drama with this baby, so…”

With another shaky sigh, he then began to explain in stops and starts, painting the picture of a man that hadn’t known what he had right in front of him, who had taken for granted the family he never deserved, and by the end, Jemma hated a man she’d never met.

“Fitz,” she murmured, blinking back tears of sadness on his behalf, of anger and frustration that such an evil person existed and had hurt Fitz so much when he’d been so young and helpless. “I hope you know that…that you’re already a better father than yours ever could’ve been.”

Lifting his eyes to meet hers, Fitz smiled softly and asked, “You really think so?”

Jemma grasped his hand in hers, squeezing his fingers tightly so that he’d truly listen to the sincerity of her words. “I really do.”

Just then, she couldn’t help but wonder if one of the first things their baby heard was her parents supporting each other, and she had to hope that it was something that she’d _always_ be able to hear; to make up for the fact that they weren’t together, at the very least their daughter could see them as a successful parental unit, working together and supporting each other.

As Jemma glanced at Fitz, who was now drawing absent little designs on her belly and whispering some more to the baby, she thought to herself that he certainly made it easy.


	5. Part Five

“Okay, can I just say how ready I am to hit the beach this weekend?” Daisy said with an exaggerated groan as she dropped onto her sofa beside Jemma. “Just sun, sand, and no dumb guys implying that _I_ don’t know how to do my damn job because I’m a _woman_.”

Bobbi arched an eyebrow at that, asking with a sympathetic smile, “Rough day?”

Daisy gave another groan in response, closing her eyes and dropping her head against the back of the couch. “You know how boys can be about their _computers_ , always thinking they know more when in reality I could plant a virus in their system that’s so well-written, they’d never even know it was there until it ate up all their files and killed their precious _computer_.”

“Daisy!” Jemma gasped in disbelief – well, alright, _somewhat_ disbelief.

“What?! I wouldn’t _actually_ do it; I enjoy getting paid too much to screw up my employment, thank you very much.” She sat up a bit straighter, leaning closer to Jemma to lovingly pat her bulging baby bump. “Still, I’m very grateful that your baby is following the rules and isn’t sneaking a penis on our girls’ weekend.”

Rolling her eyes, Jemma huffed and pushed Daisy’s hand away. On her other side, Bobbi suddenly cleared her throat uncomfortably. “Um…actually…”

Daisy’s head whirled around so that she could stare at Bobbi with wide, horrified eyes. “You _didn’t_.”

Bobbi held out her hands helplessly. “I haven’t yet; I was going to ask you about it today, but…well, I didn’t expect you to be so done with guys right now and…Hunter’s just so excited!”

As Daisy gaped at Bobbi in affronted shock, Jemma shifted a bit nervously, then admitted in a rush, “I may have told Fitz about our beach trip and…perhaps agreed to ask if he could tag along?” She winced as Daisy’s incredulous gaze landed on her.

“What the _hell_ you guys?! We’ve been doing our beach weekend, just the three of us, since _college_! What about the no boyfriends rule?” Daisy threw her hands up in exasperation.

“Hunter’s my husband now,” Bobbi pointed out.

“And Fitz isn’t my _boyfriend_ ,” Jemma reminded Daisy, feeling her cheeks warming a bit. “He’s…”

“Your baby daddy?” Bobbi offered, pressing her lips together to unsuccessfully hide her smirk.

“My _friend_ ,” she finished pointedly, throwing an embarrassed scowl in Bobbi’s direction. “Please, don’t _ever_ call him that – that term is truly awful.”

Daisy spent another couple of moments gazing at them in disbelief, then she sighed heavily and a little smile began to tug at her lips. “ _Fine_ , just this once, Hunter and Fitz can be honorary girls or something, but I fully expect them to engage in gossip and taking Cosmo quizzes while tanning on the beach.”

Bobbi scoffed at that, even as she grinned fondly. “Oh, Hunter’s the biggest gossip I’ve ever met, so he’ll fit right in.”

“I’ll make sure Fitz gets the memo,” Jemma added, giving Daisy a grateful smile.

-

A few days later, the five of them piled into Bobbi’s SUV bright and early to make the hour-long drive to the nearest beach. They spent half the trip listening to Daisy singing along with the radio at the top of her lungs (and right into Fitz’s ear where he was wedged between her and Jemma), and the other half stopping every so often because the baby was pressing on Jemma’s bladder.

Finally, though, the beach was just a few more miles away, and as Jemma climbed back into the car at the last rest stop, Daisy leaned around Fitz to ask her teasingly, “Think you can make it, Jem?”

Jemma rolled her eyes at Daisy as she re-buckled her seatbelt. “Get back to me when _you’re_ six months pregnant and we’ll see how long you can go without a restroom.”

Daisy scoffed and she leaned back in her seat. “Oh, I’m _definitely_ not getting pregnant, not after how much you complain about it. If I want a baby, I’ll just take yours or something.”

“Wait, what?” Bewildered, Fitz turned to look at Daisy, but Jemma just patted him reassuringly on the arm.

“She’s joking; you’ll get used to it after awhile.”

“And eventually, you’ll learn to block it out completely,” Bobbi added from the driver’s seat, chuckling amusedly.

“Ah, so like with Hunter,” Fitz joked, earning a full laugh from Bobbi.

Hunter turned around in the passenger seat, giving Fitz a mock-wounded look. “ _Ouch_ mate. Y’know, it’s because of me you’ve even _got_ that bun in the oven, right?”

Fitz’s eyebrows darted up incredulously. “Oh? How d’you figure _that_?”

“No, he’s right,” Daisy said suddenly, “I mean, if Bobbi and Hunter hadn’t gotten married and chosen you two as their maid of honor and best man, you probably would’ve never hooked up.” She gasped, leaning around Fitz once more to ask them both excitedly, “Are you going to name your baby after Bobbi, then? _Oh_! Or, you could name her after me, because I’m the one who made Jemma go get a drink, which _totally_ led to your baby’s conception!”

“Actually,” Bobbi piped up from the front seat before Jemma could reply, “please don’t name your poor child Barbara. I’m _begging_ you.”

“Daisy it is then!”

Sighing wearily, Jemma rolled her eyes and told Daisy firmly, “We’re not naming our child Barbara _or_ Daisy.”

“Fine.” Daisy dropped back into her seat disappointedly just as they entered the little town situated directly on the beach, and Bobbi began to navigate to the motel they always booked rooms in months in advance. “But, I still think you should keep your options open.”

As they arrived at their motel, everyone climbed out of the car, stretching their legs and unloading suitcases and coolers. After making a quick stop to their rooms to drop their things off and change, they made the short walk down onto the crowded beach.

Daisy, who was carrying the beach umbrella, stopped suddenly upon finding a relatively large stretch of empty sand. “Here!” she declared, sticking the umbrella into the sand and opening it up. She unrolled the towel she’d had stuck under her arm, and dropped down onto it dramatically. “Alright, I’m officially on vacation now; ask me for tech advice at your own peril.”

With a laugh, Jemma shook out her own towel before laying it down beside Daisy’s on the sand. “That’s alright, we’ll just ask Fitz.”

Frowning, Daisy peered at Fitz over the rims of her sunglasses. “Whoa buddy, you’re not trying to replace me as tech guru of the group, are you? Because you may have knocked Simmons up, but I’ll happily kick your ass all the way back to Scotland.”

Clearly startled, Fitz raised his hands in surrender, his cheeks turning a bit pink. “No! I’m not…”

“It’s a joke, mate,” Hunter told him helpfully, though he then shot a sideways look at Daisy and added in an undertone, “I think.”

“Well, at any rate, we’ll know by the end of the weekend if you can stick around or not,” Daisy informed Fitz airily, righting her sunglasses and stretching out on her towel.

Jemma lightly kicked Daisy’s thigh, throwing a disapproving look down at her. “Leave Fitz alone, will you?”

“Hey, I’m just looking out for my friend,” Daisy insisted, sitting up a bit to rest her weight on her elbows. “You’re having a _kid_ with this guy!”

With a smile and a fond roll of her eyes, Jemma assured her gently, “Thank you, Daisy, but I trust Fitz, so you can too.” She turned to Fitz then, who was smiling a bit shyly at her words. “Can you two get along, then? Because I’m pretty sure the baby wouldn’t like it if her father and aunt Daisy weren’t friends.”

“’Course,” Fitz answered immediately, reaching out to give her shoulder a supportive squeeze.

“Aunt Daisy?” Daisy practically squealed, covering her mouth to muffle her gasp. “ _Jemma_!” She jumped up, tugging Jemma into a tight hug. “Well of course I can get along with anyone who knocks up my best friend and gives me an adorable _niece_!”

“We’re all good then?” Bobbi asked in amusement, crossing her arms over her chest and arching an eyebrow at them. “Because I don’t know about you, but I’m sweating over here and would very much like to go cool off in the water.”

“We’re good,” Daisy answered with a brilliant grin, throwing an arm around Fitz’s shoulders. “Right Fitzy?”

Fitz still looked a bit overwhelmed, but was smiling regardless as he replied, “Right.”

Sighing in relief, Jemma began digging through her bag, coming back with a bottle of sunscreen. “Before anyone goes anywhere – sunscreen!”

Daisy and Bobbi, who both knew the drill, groaned exaggeratedly through their grins. “Jesus Jemma, have you ever realized that you were a mom long before you were a _mom_?” Bobbi asked teasingly, even as she took the bottle from her.

“Well, someone has to be,” Jemma huffed, removing a second bottle of sunscreen before setting her bag down. “If it weren’t for me, you all would end up burnt to a crisp.” Nodding decisively, she began spreading the lotion over her exposed arms and legs.

“ _Oh_ , are we gonna get to see the bump?” Daisy asked excitedly, nodding to Jemma’s baby bump, currently hidden behind her cover-dress.

“Let’s see the bump!” Bobbi joined in with a laugh. “C’mon Jemma! Show us the bump!”

Giggling indulgently, Jemma untied the halter-top of her dress, tugging it up over her head to reveal her crimson bikini and bulging stomach. “Happy?” she asked, holding her hands out as if to say ‘ta-da’. A warm flush began to crawl across her skin as she noticed Fitz’s wide eyes darting down to her exposed stomach before he quickly looked away.

“Um, forget the bump – holy shit Jemma Simmons, your boobs look  _fantastic_!” Daisy cried, gaping at Jemma in wide-eyed disbelief.

There was an odd sound from somewhere to her right, but when she turned, she found Fitz intently focused on his sunscreen application. Shrugging it off, she reminded Daisy, “Well, yes, that tends to happen during pregnancy.”

“Well maybe I _should_ get pregnant then.” Daisy, now finished with the sunscreen Bobbi had passed her, tossed it onto her towel.

“Yeah, you’ve got that right,” Bobbi agreed, raising her eyebrows speculatively.

Hunter, who had been standing aside, looking very irritated by their continued chattering, suddenly burst into a coughing fit. “ _What_?” he managed to gasp out between coughs. Bobbi simply smirked, sauntering away toward the shoreline. Hunter stumbled hurriedly after her, and they could hear him calling, “Bobbi! Bobbi, wait! You hellbeast, get back here and explain yourself!”

Daisy watched them for a moment, then turned back to Jemma and Fitz, chuckling. “I better go make sure Bobbi doesn’t give Hunter a stroke; you guys coming?”

“I think I’m going to stay here for a bit,” Jemma replied, and as Fitz agreed, Daisy headed down to the water. “Would you mind giving me a hand?” she asked him, wincing as she gestured toward her towel on the sand. “The ground’s a bit…harder to get down to nowadays.”

“Oh, sure,” he said quickly, holding out his hand so that he could help her to sit down on the towel, then plopping down beside her.

As Jemma picked up one of the bottles of sunscreen and began to cover her stomach with it, she took a deep breath and finally admitted, “I think…Daisy was right, earlier.” Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed him turning to look curiously at her. “Perhaps…we should name our daughter after the reason she came to be.”

Glancing up a bit nervously, she caught Fitz’s confused look as he asked unsurely, “…tequila?”

“ _Fitz_!” She gave him a playful little push, shaking her head as her laughter died down. “ _No_ , I mean…your grandmother – if she hadn’t passed when she did, you wouldn’t have been late to the wedding, or upset at the reception. Then, I would’ve never yelled at you for attempting to drink yourself stupid, and well…there would probably be no baby, and we wouldn’t even be having this conversation.” She paused, chewing her lip as she watched his eyes slowly growing wider. Shyly, she went on, “You said her name was Evelyn, right? Because I’ve been thinking about it quite a bit and…I really do like that name, Fitz.”

Fitz was very clearly dumbstruck by her admission, though she didn’t miss the way he was blinking rapidly, overcome by the emotion he was no doubt feeling. “Jemma…are you sure?”

“I am,” she answered softly, finding his hand with hers and giving it a little squeeze.

He gazed silently at her for another moment, then a wide, grateful smile stretched across his lips. “I love it, Jemma. Thank you.”

“Of course.” Her hand lingered on his for a moment, enjoying the warmth of his skin beneath her fingers, but eventually she forced herself to pull away. Attempting to distract herself from the sudden, strange feeling in her chest, as though it was too tight for her lungs to expand fully, she asked him, “Why don’t we go join the others down at the shore now?”

“Yeah, sure,” he agreed easily, getting to his feet and automatically reaching back down to help Jemma up as well. When he released her, the feeling in her chest only seemed to increase. But, when Fitz shot her a concerned look, she simply forced a smile and wordlessly led the way through the throngs of people on the beach, toward where she could see the others splashing around in the ocean.

-

That night at dinner, when the sun was low in the sky and they were all pleasantly exhausted, Jemma cleared her throat to gain the others’ attention. “Daisy, you were asking earlier about the baby’s name…”

Daisy lit up as she realized where the conversation was going. “Did you decide to name her after me? Am I going to be Aunt Daisy to Daisy?”

“We’ve actually decided to name her Evelyn,” Jemma explained, mostly ignoring Daisy’s questions.

“After my grandmother,” Fitz added, a soft smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

Bobbi smiled warmly as she told them, “That’s a wonderful name.”

“Gotta thank the old bird somehow, right?” Hunter chuckled, nudging Fitz across the table. Fitz groaned, giving an exaggerated roll of his eyes. “ _What_? I’m right, aren’t I?”

Daisy pursed her lips thoughtfully, then asked, “Okay, so…Evelyn what?” When she got a pair of confused looks, she elaborated, “What’s her last name going to be?”

Caught completely off-guard by the question, Jemma turned to Fitz, and found that he looked just as surprised. In all the time she’d been considering their child’s name, the idea of her last name had never even _occurred_ to Jemma. After a moment, she suggested hesitantly, “Well, I suppose it makes the most sense to hyphenate. How does Simmons-Fitz sound?”

Fitz opened his mouth to reply, but it was Daisy who scoffed and answered, “Um, _awful_. I think you’re overlooking the obvious choice here, Jem; _Fitz-Simmons_.”

“ _Oh_ , that’s good!” Hunter commented, nodding approvingly. “I think you should go with that.”

“Evelyn Fitz-Simmons does have a nice ring to it,” Bobbi offered with a shrug.

Jemma glanced at Fitz to try and gauge his feelings on the name, and when he said, “I like it,” she finally allowed a relieved smile to slip through.

“Me too,” she agreed.

Dinner was relatively quiet following the announcement, and it wasn’t long after that they went their separate ways to get some sleep before another early morning the following day, Bobbi and Hunter to their room, and Fitz, Daisy, and Jemma to their double room.

As Fitz disappeared into the bathroom to take a shower, however, Daisy tugged Jemma down onto the edge of the bed they’d be sharing. “Okay, I’ve waited long enough; seriously Simmons, we need to talk.”

“We do?” Jemma asked in surprise. “About what?”

“I know it’s only been like…a month or so, but if I didn’t know better, I’d think you and Fitz had known each other for _ages_.”

Failing to see the problem, Jemma frowned, her brow furrowing. “And that’s an issue because…?”

“It’s not an _issue_ , it’s just…you’ve been spending almost every waking moment either talking to Fitz or with Fitz and…you’ve gotten pretty _close_. And, don’t think I don’t know about those nights he’s slept on your couch.”

Jemma flushed slightly at that, though she pointedly rolled her eyes. “So? I seem to remember that _you_ slept on my couch for weeks after we graduated from university.”

“Yes, but _we_ weren’t having a baby together, Jemma.” Daisy sighed, shaking her head as she tried to explain, “Look, all I’m saying is…be careful, okay? It could turn out really great, or it could end in disaster, and there’s another life that’ll be affected by whatever choices you make.”

Finally understanding what Daisy was getting at, Jemma arched her eyebrows incredulously. “Wait, you think Fitz and I…? _No_. Daisy! We’re simply getting closer because we’re having a _child_ together, not because we’re romantically interested in each other. Don’t you think it’d be better for Evelyn if we were friends?”

Daisy studied her for a long moment, her expression halfway between disbelieving and concerned. “Yeah,” she eventually replied, “but even if you don’t think it’s necessary, just still…be careful, alright?”

Jemma really didn’t think it was necessary, but she understood Daisy’s concern, so she nodded in agreement. “Alright.”

-

When Jemma’s eyes flew open later that night, it was still dark in their motel room, and she could hear the even breaths coming from both Fitz and Daisy filling the small room. For a moment, she couldn’t quite figure out what had woken her – it wasn’t pregnancy nightmares or aching muscles or a full bladder, so what…?

Then, she felt it.

Struggling to push herself into an upright position, Jemma placed a shaking hand over her stomach and held her breath, waiting until she felt it again. Biting her lip to hold back the near-hysteric giggles she could feel building in the back of her throat, she kicked her way out of the covers and hurried across the scant space between the two beds in the room.

“ _Fitz_!” she hissed, grasping his shoulder and giving him a little shake. “ _Fitz_!”

His breathing changed as he sucked in a breath, startled into consciousness as he blinked groggily up at her. “Jem?” he mumbled. “Wha?”

Wordlessly, she found his hand, tugging it closer until she could lay his fingers over the place low on her stomach that she’d felt it. There was a heavy silence for a moment, then the little kick came again, tapping lightly at his fingers.

For a moment, he didn’t move or say a word, but then he scrambled to sit up, suddenly wide awake as he stared at her in wide-eyed amazement. “Was that…?”

Jemma nodded rapidly, climbing onto the bed beside Fitz, who instantly placed his hand back on her baby bump. “I’ve felt little movements here and there, but I was beginning to think I’d be one of those women that never felt a full-fledged kick.”

Fitz let out an awed little laugh, shaking his head slowly. “I can’t believe… She’s _kicking_ , and I…I _felt_ it. She’s…” He trailed off, as though he couldn’t quite find the perfect word to describe their daughter. Jemma understood, of course – she was quite sure there wasn’t a word in the English language that conveyed just how much she loved Evelyn, just how incredible her very existence was.

“Yeah,” she agreed softly. “Yeah, she is.”

Their gazes met then, and they shared a smile, warm and amazed and grateful, a combination of emotion that Jemma could only remember ever feeling for Fitz. And as Evelyn gave another tiny kick, poking Jemma from the inside, their smiles quietly grew as her heart beat out an uneven rhythm in her chest.

For hours, they sat there, side-by-side in the quiet darkness of the room, sharing the incredible feeling of their baby kicking. At some point, though, they had to have fallen asleep, as the next time Jemma woke, it was to find Fitz’s chest beneath her cheek, his heart beating evenly beneath her ear, and his right hand still lying protectively over her stomach.

For a moment, Jemma didn’t move, telling herself that it was simply because he looked so peaceful and she didn’t want accidentally wake him up (but, truthfully, it felt a bit more like she was absolutely content lying there, surrounded by Fitz’s warmth and comfort). She knew she had to move, though, so she carefully extricated herself from Fitz’s embrace, ignoring the tight feeling in her chest that returned as she climbed out of his bed.

Upon getting to her feet, she noticed Daisy, awake and sitting up against the headboard of the second bed. She arched an eyebrow at Jemma, nodding pointedly to the still-sleeping Fitz behind her.

Definitely not in the mood to hear Daisy insisting that there was something between her and Fitz that wasn’t actually there, Jemma narrowed her eyes. “ _Don’t_.”

Daisy held up her hands in surrender, going back to the phone she’d had lying on her lap, and Jemma made a beeline for the bathroom. As she was closing the door behind her, however, she caught one last glimpse of Fitz, asleep in his bed with his hair sticking up in odd directions and the blankets all a mess around him.

A swell of affection rushed over her so quickly that it left her feeling lightheaded, and Jemma hastily shut the door, deciding simply that the lack of adequate sleep must be getting to her.

That had to be it.


	6. Part Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *Note: There are references to pregnancy complications, though nothing terribly explicit, and I promise everything’s good in the end!

“ _Oh, I miss you so much; it’s been too long since you’ve been home, you know_.”

Fitz sighed fondly, leaning up against the counter in his (now seldom used) kitchen as he replied, “I know Mum, I miss you too. But you’ll see me soon enough – you’re still coming to visit after Evelyn’s born, right?”

His mother’s scoff carried clearly over the line. “ _Leo, wild horses couldn’t keep me from seeing that baby girl_.”

A warm smile ticked his lips up at the corners. “Good.” Lifting his wrist to check his watch, he winced as he saw the time. “Mum, I have to go; I’m supposed to help Daisy and Bobbi set up for Jemma’s baby shower tomorrow.”

“ _Of course, of course_.” There was a beat, then she asked, as she did every time they spoke now, “ _Has Jemma been eating enough? Sleeping well?_ ”

“Yeah, she’s been eating enough, Mum,” Fitz assured her, focusing on slipping on his shoes and tying the laces up as he added absently, “Sleeping’s been a bit difficult for her lately, what with Evelyn kicking all hours of the night and her stomach being so large now, but she manages.”

It was only once his mother went quiet that Fitz frowned, going back over what he’d just said, but nothing seemed off about it to him. “ _Have you been spending a lot of time at Jemma’s flat?_ ” she finally asked, her voice sounding slightly…off.

His frown deepened as he answered slowly, “Yeah…I guess. Jemma gets lonely and really misses working in the lab, so I try to spend as much time with her as possible. And, well, I’m just worried that she might need something in the middle of the night or go into early labor, and I want to be there for her.”

She gave a quiet sigh, and Fitz just didn’t understand why everyone tended to make such a big deal about how much of his time he spent with Jemma these days – not only were they having a child together, but they’d gotten to be quite close as friends over the past few months.

Truthfully, Fitz couldn’t imagine wanting to be anywhere else.

“ _It’s good that you want to be there for Jemma, sweetheart,_ ” she told him gently, “ _just be careful, alright?_ ”

Fitz didn’t really know what she could possibly think he needed to be careful about, but he did know that if he didn’t leave in the next few moments he was going to be late, and he did _not_ want to find himself on the end of Bobbi’s wrath (or Daisy’s, for that matter – she still tended to keep a suspicious eye on him, even though she seemed to have accepted his continued presence in their lives).

So, he simply agreed, “Yeah, I will. Bye Mum, love you and I’ll see you soon.”

“ _I love you too, Leo. And Happy Birthday, sweetheart_.”

After he’d thanked her (for the second time), Fitz hung up and hurried out the door of his flat to head over to Bobbi and Hunter’s. Jemma had made it clear to her two closest friends that she didn’t want anything fancy, especially since it was going to be a relatively small affair, so Bobbi had subsequently offered up their flat as the venue.

Thankfully, he managed to arrive on time, knocking quickly on their front door. It was opened a moment later, revealing a beaming Jemma in a white, summery maternity dress. “Happy Birthday, Fitz!” she told him happily, tugging him into a hug.

Fitz immediately returned the embrace, pressing his hands to her back, where he could feel her warm skin through the lacy material of the dress. Her stomach was cradled protectively between them, and he had the fleeting thought that it was almost as though he was hugging both Jemma _and_ Evelyn then, warmth flooding him at the very idea.

Just then, he felt Evelyn give a little kick up against his abdomen, and Jemma pulled away from the hug with a laugh. “Apparently Evelyn wanted to wish you a ‘Happy Birthday’ as well,” she teased, rubbing a hand absently over where the kick had issued from.

He couldn’t help the grin that spread across his face as he placed a loving hand over her protruding belly as well. “Well, then thank you, Evie.”

Jemma’s smile could’ve rivaled the sun at that moment, and Fitz’s heart squeezed fondly in his chest. She clasped her hands together, excitedly informing him, “I’m going to take you out for dinner tonight – _oh_ , and I even got you a cake!” Abruptly, her smile became a wince. “I’m sorry it’s store-bought, but I’m not the best in the kitchen.” She frowned then, and admitted, “Perhaps, though, I’ll have to learn if Evelyn’s going to have her father’s sweet tooth.”

Fitz reached out to give her arm a grateful little squeeze. “I can’t wait,” he told her earnestly, watching as her smile returned with a vengeance.

“You gonna come help or what, mate?” Hunter called over suddenly, and Fitz turned to find him being directed by Bobbi and Daisy to set out tables and chairs, looking very put out about doing so. “It’s not _my_ baby that’s getting showered with presents tomorrow, is it?”

Rolling his eyes at Hunter’s theatrics, Fitz hurried over to help him unfold the table he’d been struggling with.

Once it was finished, Hunter let out a sigh of exaggerated relief. “Thanks.” He leant up against the table, crossing his arms over his chest. “Oh _man_ , I can’t wait to hit the bar tonight – thank god for our birthday drinks tradition, or else Bobbi’d have me working all through the night.”

 _Shit_.

He’d forgotten completely about the celebratory drinks they’d been getting together on each of their birthdays since they’d both turned twenty-one. Hesitating, Fitz glanced over toward Jemma, who was now chatting with the other girls, trying to figure out where to put the presents.

Noting his hesitance and following his gaze, Hunter groaned, “ _No_! No way! She’s not even your _girlfriend_ , and you’re letting Simmons make all of your decisions for you? You’re a free man Fitz; you can spend the night getting sloshed without anyone saying a word about it! You do remember that, right?”

Fitz frowned uncomfortably, because, well…he _did_ tend to forget that he was single – not that he thought he and Jemma were _together_ , it was just that he was so busy spending time with Jemma (and by extension, Evelyn) that he sort of tended to forget that other women existed…and that he should want to be around them.

To Hunter, though, he shrugged and admitted, “Jemma isn’t making me do anything. I mean, I kind of…want to spend my birthday with my daughter and the mother of my child, y’know?”

Hunter dropped down into the nearest chair, heaving an exasperated groan. “Come _on_ Fitz, Evelyn won’t remember if you were home or not for this birthday because, if you’ll remember, she hasn’t even been _born_ yet.”

 _But Jemma will_ , Fitz thought to himself, and that was enough for him.

Rubbing the back of his neck, he cleared his throat and promised Hunter, “I’ll be sure to buy you an extra drink when your birthday comes round again, alright?”

Hunter gave him an incredulous look. “You’ll need to buy me two – _at least_.”

“Hunter!” Bobbi appeared beside Fitz then, hands planted on her hips and her eyes narrowed. “Why the hell are you sitting on your ass when there’s still so much to do?”

Scowling, Hunter got up without protest, though Fitz didn’t miss his mutters of, “There’s such a thing as taking a _break_ every now and then, not that _you’d_ understand that.”

It was going to be a _long_ afternoon.

-

“Okay, go sit!” Jemma instructed later that night as they returned to her flat after dinner, waving an impatient hand toward her couch.

Chuckling to himself, Fitz obediently went to perch on the couch as Jemma disappeared into the kitchen. He heard some shuffling around and the sound of drawers opening and closing, before she stepped out a couple of minutes later, holding a cute little cake with a handful of lit candles stuck in the icing.

“ _Happy Birthday to you_ ,” she was singing adorably off-key, the flickering flames casting shadows on her brilliantly smiling face. “ _Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Fi_ –” His name ended in a sharp gasp as she stopped halfway into the living room, losing her grip on the cake as she bent at the waist, her face screwing up in pain.

Fitz was up and at her side before the cake had even fully hit the ground, wrapping an arm supportively around her back and carefully leading her over to the couch. Between gasps of pain, Jemma managed to get out, “Oh Fitz I…I’m so sorry about the…” She waved a hand toward the ruined cake, now spread messily over her floor.

“I don’t care about the _cake_ ,” he insisted, sitting down next to her as his heart pounded alarmingly fast in his chest. “Are _you_ alright? What’s wrong?”

“I’m fine,” she assured him, though given the grimace still etched into her features, he highly doubted that. “It’s likely just Braxton Hicks; it’ll fade.”

However, as time passed and Jemma continued to grip his hand every so often as another wave of pain hit, Fitz asked a tad desperately, “Is there something I can do to help?”

Jemma thought it over for a moment, then said, “Well, sometimes walking around helps to ease the discomfort a bit.”

Relieved that there was something they could at least _try_ , Fitz helped Jemma to stand back up, but as she took a couple of cautious steps ahead of him, bracing her back, he noticed the tiny spot of red on the back of her nice white dress – then the dribble of red running down the inside of her leg.

The world seemed to shrink around him then, until it felt as though there was no more oxygen and he was suffocating, his heart thudding so erratically in his chest that it ached. As though she was a million miles away, Fitz heard Jemma’s faint question of, “Fitz, what’s wrong?”

“You’re _bleeding_ ,” he just barely managed to gasp out.

Everything seemed to happen so fast after that, a sort of daze settling over him on the drive over to the hospital (in which he unashamedly drove _far_ over the speed limit), and as they were admitted into the emergency room and Jemma was checked over.

But, as they were left waiting for the diagnosis, the feel of Jemma’s cool fingers sliding into his palm jerked him back fully into the present. “I’m so sorry for ruining your birthday, Fitz,” she murmured, tears swimming in her eyes, “I’m sorry for whatever’s happening.” She made a face then, adding sadly, “And I’m especially sorry that _this_ is how you’re spending your birthday, instead of out getting drunk with Hunter.”

“You heard that?” Fitz asked in surprise, though he quickly winced as he wondered why she hadn’t said anything sooner – and why Hunter couldn’t learn to just keep his damn voice down.  Jemma smiled a bit wryly, nodding silently in response. “Jemma…no matter what, I’d rather be here with you, okay? And truthfully, I’m grateful that I was with you tonight – I wouldn’t have wanted you to go through this alone.” Then, he frowned at her and added sternly, “Also, you have _nothing_ to be sorry for because this isn’t your fault.”

Even as she nodded, he could see the fear in her eyes that she was trying valiantly to hide, the fear he was sure must have been written all over his own face. It tugged painfully at his heart to see her like that and know that he couldn’t do anything to take away that fear.

“Hey, everything’s gonna be alright,” he told her softly.

Jemma gave a slightly watery, humorless little laugh as she shook her head. “Fitz, you can’t possibly know that.”

And even though they both knew that she was right, Fitz used their joined hands to give her ribs a little nudge and said, “Of course I do – I’m bloody _genius_ ; I know everything.”

The admittedly ridiculous joke managed to get a small but genuine laugh out of her, and Fitz felt a burst of pride in knowing that, even if he couldn’t protect Jemma and Evelyn, at the very least he could ease Jemma’s worry somewhat.

There was a soft knock on the door before the doctor that had been attending to Jemma returned, holding a clipboard and wearing a small but warm smile that had Fitz’s hopes rising. “Miss Simmons, it appears the amniotic sac has ruptured prematurely, leading to a partial placental abruption –”

Jemma sucked in a sharp breath, obviously aware of what that was and what it meant, and before the doctor could finish, she asked, “Will you have to deliver her now?” She gripped Fitz’s hand a bit more tightly, and he felt as though his heart was lodged in his throat as he waited for the answer.

“Fortunately, that shouldn’t be the case; the bleeding has stopped and you’re in stable condition, so I’m going to send you home and recommend bed rest for the remainder of your pregnancy. You need to be aware, however, that early birth is still a very real possibility.”

As both Fitz and Jemma released relieved sighs, Jemma nodded and talked a bit more with the doctor about what the next few weeks would look like and what she needed to do to ensure Evelyn’s safety. After imparting all the necessary information, the doctor left, promising that Jemma would be discharged soon.

They’d been alone in the room for a handful of moments, silently soaking in the news, before she abruptly broke the silence with a cry of, “My baby shower!”

Startled, Fitz turned to look at her wide-eyed, almost _overly_ concerned expression, and he smiled fondly as he told her gently, “We’ll just move it to your flat. Everything’s fine, Jemma, and all the guests will understand.”

Jemma briefly closed her eyes, taking a deep, calming breath as she nodded in agreement. “Everything will be fine,” she repeated. “It’s just a small hiccup in the grand scheme of things.”

“Right,” Fitz agreed. Another beat of silence passed, then he finally spoke the words that had been on his mind since the doctor had mentioned bed rest, “Jemma, I promise I’ll stay with you and help out as much as I can for the next couple of months – I’ll even take some time off of work.”

Her eyes grew wide once more, and she quickly shook her head. “Fitz! You don’t have to do that!”

“Yeah, maybe I don’t _have_ to, but I want to, Jemma, really.”

She wavered for a moment, pressing her lips together and tilting her head as she likely considered whether she was feeling selfish enough to agree (but honestly, even if she insisted once more that he wasn’t required to stay with her, he’d still show up on her doorstep ready to do whatever was necessary to help her in the last few weeks of her pregnancy).

Finally, Jemma gave his hand a slight squeeze and murmured, “Thank you, Fitz.” She paused, smiling a bit bashfully as she went on, “I’m…I’m so glad that I have you here with me through all of this. I don’t know what I’d do if you weren’t.”

“I’m exactly where I want to be,” Fitz promised softly, squeezing her hand in return.


	7. Part Seven

Jemma let out a little disgruntled noise, working to flop over onto her other side and kicking away the covers as they tangled around her legs. However, it wasn’t any easier to find sleep on her left side than it had been on her right side, and she released a heavy sigh of defeat. Over the past few weeks, it had only gotten harder and harder to sleep with her increasingly heavy, bulging stomach – and it didn’t help that she had already spent a month on bed rest since she’d gotten back from the hospital for her partial placental abruption. By now, she was far past sick and tired of lying in her bed day after day.

Fortunately, though, she’d had Fitz there beside her through it all, doing whatever he could make the whole thing easier for her. He’d even managed to make her birthday the previous week more of an event than she could’ve imagined while she was stuck on bed rest, inviting Daisy and Bobbi over to marathon cheesy romance movies and gorge on pizza and sweets.

Unfortunately, though, she didn’t think Fitz could make finding sleep while nine months pregnant any easier on her.

_Or could he?_

Just then, Jemma remembered the night she’d fallen asleep in the same bed as Fitz, when Evelyn had started kicking and they’d been vacationing at the beach. When she’d woken up spooned against him, her large stomach had been perfectly supported by his body, rather than her having to carry the full weight of it herself. Perhaps, if her stomach wasn’t feeling so heavy, she’d be able to get at least a couple hours of sleep.

With that in mind, Jemma carefully climbed out of bed, stretching a bit and bracing her hands on her aching back as she waddled out into the living room. Almost immediately, she could hear Fitz’s quiet snores echoing from her couch, where he’d slept each night for the past month. Pausing when she was standing directly above him, she grasped his shoulder and gave it a little shake. “Fitz?”

It took a couple of tries before he blinked awake, frowning at the sight of her leaning over him. “Jemma?” he mumbled, rubbing a weary hand over his face. “Wha… Why’re you out of bed?” There was a pause before he asked with wide eyes, “Are you…are you in labor?” Suddenly, he tensed beneath her hand, abruptly scrambling up from the couch and stumbling as he rushed to grab his keys and the go-bag sitting by her front door.

“ _Fitz_!” Jemma called after him, a touch of exasperation in her tone. “I’m fine! I’m not in labor.” When he froze halfway through shoving his feet into his shoes, she repeated calmly, “I’m not in labor, alright? I’m just fine, Fitz.”

He turned back to face her, blinking a bit dazedly as he kicked the shoes back off, slowly setting the bag and his keys back down. “Then…what’s wrong?”

She closed the distance between them, grasping his hand in hers and wordlessly leading him down the hall to her bedroom. As she gave him a gentle push toward her bed and he shot her a bewildered expression, she explained, “I need you to do me a favor and just lay down, alright?”

Fitz hesitated another moment, but then he released a quiet breath and nodded, climbing onto the mattress and scooting over to allow her room to lie down beside him. She tugged the covers up over them, sliding closer until she was half-lying on top of Fitz, the skin of his chest warm beneath her cheek, even through the thin material of his t-shirt.

Already, the even beat of his heart and the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest had her drifting off, and just before she succumbed fully to sleep, she murmured, “Thank you, Fitz.”

She could’ve sworn she heard him reply with a soft chuckle, “Always, Jemma,” though she couldn’t be sure, as the next moment she’d given in completely to the exhaustion tugging at the edges of her consciousness.

-

Sometime later, Jemma woke with a start, though it was to find that her bedroom was still dark, and Fitz was still fast asleep where he was tangled up with her between the sheets. For a moment, she couldn’t seem to figure out what had caused her to wake up, but then she shifted a bit and felt the wetness of the mattress beneath her.

The first conclusion her still-fuzzy brain came to was that her fragile bladder had betrayed her and she couldn’t believe that she’d wet the bed with _Fitz_ there.

But, as the haziness of sleep cleared a bit, she quickly realized that there was a strong possibility that she could be bleeding once more, as she’d been told to watch for. Gasping sharply, she struggled to sit up against the headboard and fumbled for the light, blinking in the sudden brightness of the room as she yanked the covers back to expose her lower half.

When she didn’t see crimson staining her clean sheets, she released a shaky breath of relief – relief that was very short-lived, as the next moment, she felt the tell-tale tightening in her lower stomach and the ache spearing through to her back, and it hit her that the wetness must’ve been from her _water breaking_.

“Oh my _god_ ,” she gasped, sucking in a breath as she searched through the blankets until she found Fitz’s arm, giving it a sharp shake. “ _Fitz_! Fitz, wake up!”

“M’awake!” He shot upright, hastily covering his eyes as the harsh light burned into them.

Jemma could feel her fingers trembling with anxiety and fear as she gave his shoulder another hurried shake. “ _Fitz_.”

Lowering his hand, he turned to meet her wide-eyed gaze. There, he must’ve noticed the panic she was feeling, as a moment later he reached out to place a supportive hand on her back, leaning closer as he asked hurriedly, “What’s wrong, Jemma? Are you okay? What do you need?”

She opened her mouth, but the words couldn’t quite make it past her too-tight throat. Trying again, she swallowed heavily and took a deep breath before she managed to tell him, “My water…it broke…I –”

“Wait, you’re actually…you’re in _labor_?” When she nodded rapidly, Fitz threw back the covers, almost tripping on them in his haste to get out of bed. Rushing around to the other side, he held out his hands, helping Jemma to get to her feet as well. “Okay, okay, okay, just gotta stay calm and get to the hospital and –” He stopped suddenly, glancing worriedly down in the general direction of her waist. “Are you okay? The doctor said something about bleeding some more.”

“I think I’m…I don’t think I’m bleeding,” Jemma answered, glancing down at her pajama pants, which, fortunately, didn’t appear to be soaked through with blood.

“Good, good, that’s good.” Fitz nodded quickly, squeezing her hands, which were still held within his. “Okay, you wait here, I’m gonna get the bag and my keys and just…I’ll be right back.” He gave her hands another squeeze before hurrying out of the room.

Jemma placed her hands on her hips, inhaling deeply and stretching out her sore back. She could feel the nervousness and worry building up in her chest over the fact that she was two weeks early – but, she had to remind herself that her OBGYN had said there was a very real possibility she wouldn’t make it to forty weeks with the placental abruption. It didn’t have to be a cause for concern until she was told otherwise; it wouldn’t do her any good to worry about all the things that _could_ happen.

With that in mind, she took another couple of deep, calming breaths, at the same moment that another contraction started, a wave of pain radiating out from the lower half of her body. Thankfully, they were still on the weaker side, short and further apart, and the pain was manageable for now.

It was over by the time Fitz returned to help her down the stairs of her building and into his car, and he got them to the hospital in record time (though this time, he pointedly kept his speed within the legal limits – but only at her constant reminders that they had _time_ and there was no need to rush). It wasn’t much longer before she’d been admitted into the hospital and brought to a labor room until she was ready to be moved to delivery.

Once Jemma was settled, the nurses spent the next couple of hours monitoring her as the contractions continued, but everything seemed to be going alright and they were pretty confident that she’d be able to deliver naturally.

 Around the time the sky began to grow lighter outside the window in the hospital room, Daisy, and Bobbi and Hunter arrived, bleary-eyed so early in the morning, but obviously excited for them.

“Hey, you’re having a baby!” Daisy cried as she entered the room, almost instantly collapsing into a seat beside Jemma’s bed.

“Not for some time,” Jemma reminded her, blindly reaching out to find Fitz’s hand to clasp within hers as another contraction began. They’d been growing steadily more and more painful and closer together, though she knew they were bound to get even worse as time wore on.

“You’re doing great, hon,” Bobbi encouraged as she patted Jemma’s shoulder. “You’ve definitely got this.”

“Look,” Hunter started as he dropped into the chair beside Daisy, slumping a bit and closing his eyes as he crossed his arms over his chest, “I’ll be supportive or whatever, but I’m definitely not going to be here when there’s blood and gross fluids all over the place, alright?”

Bobbi gave an exaggerated roll of her eyes as she huffed, “No one _asked_ you to be here for that, Hunter. Giving birth is going to be difficult enough for Jemma; she doesn’t need to hear your whining right in her ear.”

Hunter made a face, then muttered, “Well…good, then.”

As Jemma’s contraction ended and she sagged back against Fitz, Daisy leaned forward and said, “Alright, we’re here to distract you from the fact that your lady parts are preparing to expel a tiny human – what do you want to do?”

And so, they spent the next few hours keeping Jemma distracted with conversation, telling stories from their respective workplaces (and watching Bobbi and Hunter bicker, which was always entertaining), seeming to make the time pass that much more quickly. Fitz, of course, was right there by Jemma’s side in case she needed anything, retrieving ice chips and helping her out to take short walks through the halls and letting her squeeze his hand when the contractions grew practically unbearable.

Though she had her friends there, Jemma truly didn’t know what she would’ve done if she hadn’t had Fitz there to go through all of this with her. Truthfully, she couldn’t imagine that there was anyone else in the world that she’d rather be having a child with, couldn’t imagine that there existed a better partner anywhere than Fitz.

When she was finally fully dilated and could be moved to delivery, their friends wished them good luck before they went to pass the remaining time in the waiting room. And as she was instructed to begin pushing, Fitz was there with her, holding her hand and murmuring encouragements against the top of her head, wiping away the sweat constantly beading at her hairline.

After a fair bit of pushing and whole lot of exertion on Jemma’s part, Evelyn was brought into the world, pink and wrinkled and covered in blood and other mess as she let out a thin wail. The very moment that an exhausted Jemma laid eyes on her daughter, the tears that had been building in her eyes spilled over, and _oh_ , how she already loved her, already thought that she was the most perfect thing in the universe.

When she felt an absent, light squeeze around her fingers, she tore her eyes from Evelyn and glanced up at Fitz, to find that he was gazing at their daughter in pure awe with tears of his own rolling down his cheeks. He sniffled, reaching up with his free hand to scrub at the tears, and Jemma felt a nameless something growing inside of her at the sight. But, she didn’t bother to figure it out now, not with the jumbled emotions of everything else she was feeling just then.

A few moments later, as Evelyn was placed in her arms, Jemma couldn’t help her teary, disbelieving laugh as she stared down at her, at her _daughter_. She was the most beautiful thing Jemma had ever laid eyes on, her little eyelids and nose and mouth and chin – she was simply _perfect_.

She felt Fitz perch lightly on the edge of the bed beside her, and she turned to glance up at him. Feeling her gaze, he tore his eyes from Evelyn to meet Jemma’s, and she wanted to thank him for giving her something so precious, but she couldn’t seem to find the words – truthfully, she didn’t think that any words could ever possibly be enough.

Instead, Jemma instinctively leaned in closer, her eyes fluttering shut as Fitz closed the remaining distance between them and then, their lips met in the middle in the first kiss they’d shared since the night Evelyn had been conceived. It was soft and loving, filled with the gratitude they both felt for the other, and it was the only way Jemma thought could possibly begin to express to him everything that she was feeling right then.

 Fitz’s hand lightly cupped her cheek to keep her close for just a moment longer, but when they did part, it was to share a small smile. Jemma felt a surge of a powerful _something_ , much like the nameless feeling she always seemed to get around Fitz these days – only this was twice as strong, knocking the breath straight from her lungs.

But, then Evelyn was gently extricated from her arms to be cleaned up and checked out more fully, and her mind immediately focused on her daughter instead. As such, she all-but forgot about the strange, unidentifiable feeling for the time being.

Sometime later, after Evelyn had been checked over and deemed healthy, despite being early, she was returned to Jemma’s arms and she felt she could breathe a bit easier again. Not long after, Fitz ended up stretched out on the bed beside her with one arm wrapped around her shoulders, his free hand cradling one of Evelyn’s and stroking her tiny fingers with his thumb.

“She’s just so… _little_ ,” Fitz murmured in clear awe, spreading her fingers out across the tip of his index finger.

“Yeah,” Jemma replied, brushing her fingertips lightly over Evelyn’s sleeping face, tracing her chubby little cheeks. “She has your cheeks,” she pointed out, then followed the curve of Evelyn’s chin, “and your chin.”

“But she’s got your nose,” he added, carefully placing her hand down to lightly tap Evelyn’s nose. “And I do believe those are your ears.”

Releasing a content little sigh, Jemma dropped her head to rest on Fitz’s shoulder, and she admitted in a whisper, “You do know that I’ve never regretted that night, right? I…I’m truly glad that it happened.”

“Me too,” Fitz assured her quietly, turning his head to drop a kiss on the top of her head and squeezing her shoulders lightly. “If it hadn’t happened… I just, I can’t remember what my life was like before you came into it, Jemma. Without you, without Evie…” She could feel him shake his head slightly, seemingly unable to finish that sentence.

“I know,” she agreed, tightening her arms protectively around their daughter, as though the mere mention of a world where their one night stand hadn’t happened would cause her to disappear. “I can’t… imagine my life without you in it, Fitz.”

She felt his cheek press against her forehead as his free arm wrapped around where hers cradled their slumbering daughter, hugging both her and Evelyn closer to him. “You’ll never have to,” he promised seriously, his voice low but firm, and it caused a relieved little smile to tick Jemma’s lips up at the corners.

Of course, she’d never once thought that Fitz would up and leave her life – he just wasn’t that kind of person. But, perhaps a bit selfishly, she gotten so used to having him close, to having him right there with her at all times, that to hear the confirmation that he didn’t intend to go anywhere…it was something she hadn’t realized she’d needed until she’d heard the words.

And just in case Fitz felt similarly, Jemma shifted her hold around Evelyn to find Fitz’s hand with hers, curling her fingers lightly around his as she replied, “And neither will you.”

Because they were in this together, they were a family now, and Jemma didn’t plan on letting anything take that away from them. Fitz was her best friend, the father of her child, and he was exactly where he belonged – with _her_.

And Evelyn, of course! _Especially_ Evelyn, she didn’t know why she’d…

But, Jemma quickly shook off the strange thought, and instead directed her focus back to Evelyn. It didn’t mean anything, anyway, just a simple slip in her tired brain. That was all it was.


	8. Part Eight

 

“Diapers?”

“Check.”

“Baby powder?”

“Check.”

“Wipes?”

“Check.”

“Change of clothes?”

“Double check.”

“Blanket?”

“Check.”

“Pacifiers?”

“Check.”

Jemma finished securing Evelyn in her car seat, standing and releasing a breath. “Okay, then I think we’ve got everything.”

“Sounds like it,” Fitz agreed, shouldering the diaper bag he’d been searching through to confirm they had what they needed as Jemma listed them off. However, as she picked up the car seat and they began heading for the door of her flat, he paused and asked, “Do you think perhaps we’ve… _over_ -packed?”

Jemma frowned, glancing over her shoulder at him, though it quickly turned into a wince as her gaze dropped to take in the two bags he was carrying. “Oh.”

“I mean, we are just going fifteen minutes away to Bobbi and Hunter’s,” he pointed out. “I think we can leave Evie’s entire collection of stuffed animals at home.”

“But what if she wants the one we didn’t bring?” Jemma asked, in clear distress at the very idea. “I don’t want to upset her!”

Fitz smiled gently, setting the bags down and stepping forward to place a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Jem, she’s a month old; I don’t think she’ll care whether she has a teddy bear or a puppy dog, alright?”

Jemma inhaled a deep, calming breath, then nodded. “You’re right. Of course you’re right. It’s just…we haven’t really taken her anywhere since she was born, and I want to be prepared for whatever she needs.” She gave a quiet sigh, admitting, “I wish your mum was still here; she’s just so _knowledgeable_ about all of this, with an answer to just about every question I had.”

Scoffing lightly, Fitz reminded her, “She did give you her number and tell you that you could call any time you needed anything, remember. She may be all the way in Glasgow, but my mum’s been ready to be a grandmother for _years_ and she isn’t going to let a silly thing like the Atlantic Ocean get in her way.”

It really had been nice to have his mother there to help in the first couple of weeks after Evelyn’s birth, giving them tips and helpful suggestions any time they seemed to be out of their depth; by the time she’d left the previous week, Fitz and Jemma had been quite a bit more confident and capable as parents.

Also, Fitz had to admit that it’d been really great to see how quickly and easily Jemma and his mother had gotten along. It wasn’t as if he’d been _worried_ that they wouldn’t like each other, it’d just been surprisingly…nice to see.

After they’d managed to narrow it down to one bag, they were out the door and getting Evelyn’s car seat strapped into the car. As Jemma double, then triple-checked it, she stepped back and shut the door, commenting teasingly, “You know, it still feels rather strange to be dressed up, wearing makeup and perfume.”

Fitz glanced over at her, subtly eyeing the pretty red sweater and dark jeans she’d stepped out of her bedroom wearing not long ago. “Did I mention yet that you look nice?”

As he was getting into the driver’s seat, he caught the briefest glimpse of Jemma’s pleasant blush as she smiled at the compliment. Climbing into the passenger seat beside him, she said, “Thank you, Fitz. And I have to say, you clean up pretty nice too – especially when there isn’t spit up all over your shirt.”

“That’s always a plus, yes,” Fitz replied with a laugh. “Though I’m sure by the end of the night, Evie’ll have decorated this one in much the same way.”

“Shame,” Jemma remarked with a little smirk, “that shade of blue brings out your eyes far more than vomit does.”

“Oh, be quiet, will you?” he shot back in reply, though he couldn’t quite keep up his glower when the car was filled with her delighted giggles.

It wasn’t long before they were arriving at Bobbi and Hunter’s flat, and as soon as they stepped through the door, Bobbi descended on them. “Alright, where’s the little munchkin?”

Jemma grinned, nodding to Evelyn’s car seat as she said, “Give me a moment to get her settled, then you can hold her as long as you’d like.”

As Bobbi followed Jemma over to the couch, Hunter called from the kitchen, “Dinner’s in the oven; should be another twenty minutes or so.” He stepped into the living room then, passing Fitz a bottle of beer.

They both watched as Jemma handed Evelyn over to an eagerly-waiting Bobbi, who cuddled her up in her arms and almost immediately began cooing down at her. Jemma, however, looked more than a little relieved to have a moment to sit and relax, and it had Fitz frowning in concern; she should have been getting more sleep, or at least have more time to rest during the day. Perhaps he could do something about that?

After all, Jemma had already done all the hard work in carrying and giving birth to Evelyn, the least he could do was take on a couple more hours of Evelyn duty to give her a bit of a rest here and there, regardless of the fact that he already spent every bit of his free time changing diapers and giving Evelyn baths and rocking her to sleep.

“Hey,” Hunter said suddenly, tugging Fitz a bit further away from the girls and out of their earshot. “If your daughter gives my wife baby fever, I’m coming after you personally.”

Fitz gave Hunter a rather impressive roll of his eyes in response. “You know, being a father is nowhere near as bad as you’re making it out to be.” At Hunter’s incredulously raised eyebrow, he admitted, “Okay, yeah, I’m exhausted more often than not and I don’t remember what it’s like to get a full night’s sleep, but I’ve never loved anything more, never loved _being_ anything more than Evelyn’s father.”

He expected that to get _some_ kind of reaction out of Hunter, but he wasn’t quite expecting the strange look he suddenly found himself on the receiving end of.

After a long, silent moment, Fitz shifted uncomfortably and finally asked, “What?”

“Mate…have you been staying at Simmons’s flat?” Hunter questioned abruptly, his brow furrowing.

“Oh.” Fitz frowned, clearing his throat a bit awkwardly. “Ah, well, I mean… _sometimes_ , to help Jemma out with Evelyn. Y’know, it takes two to make a baby, and she shouldn’t be footing all the responsibility.”

Hunter didn’t seem to be buying his excuses for a moment, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. “Oh? So when was the last time you were at your _own_ flat, then?”

Smirking triumphantly, Fitz informed him, “I was just there yesterday, actually.”

“And _not_ to get clothes,” Hunter added, arching a knowing eyebrow.

Fitz deflated at that, his shoulders sagging as he let out a defeated sigh. “Alright, fine, I don’t know…I guess before Jemma’s placental abruption? But, she’s needed help and I wanted to be there for her!” he reminded Hunter defensively.

Hunter crossed his arms over his chest, shooting a look at where Jemma and Bobbi were caught up in conversation, Evelyn seemingly dozing off in Bobbi’s arms. Still, he lowered his voice just a touch more as he warned him, “Look, you’ve just got to be careful, Fitz. Things might get complicated if you’re not, and you don’t want to go there; _un_ -complicating a situation is a lot harder than you’d think.”

Closing his eyes briefly, Fitz released a quiet sigh, avoiding Hunter’s searching gaze as he muttered, “It’s too late, alright? Things are already complicated.”

“And just what the hell do you mean by _that_?”

Fitz heaved another sigh, tapping a finger idly against the beer bottle in his hand that was still mostly untouched. “The night of my birthday,” he started reluctantly, “after Jemma and I had gotten back from the hospital…I ended up lying awake the rest of the night, thinking about how I could’ve easily lost Evelyn, could’ve easily lost _Jemma_. It kept me awake all night, the _fear_ of it, and by the time the sun was rising, I’d realized that…that I couldn’t imagine losing Jemma. I wouldn’t know what to do with myself, y’know? How could my life possibly go on? And that feeling…it was just as strong as my fears of losing Evelyn, who I knew without a doubt I loved, so…” Trailing off, he cautiously glanced up at Hunter, who was gaping at him in disbelief.

“You’re in love with _Simmons_!” he hissed, his eyes growing wide. Fitz grimaced at it being put so bluntly after he’d spent the past couple of months keeping it firmly to himself, but he nodded regardless. “Well, why haven’t you made a move yet then?”

Fitz gave him an incredulous look. “You _just_ said how thing could get complicated! I’ve got a lot more to lose than just my pride or remaining self-esteem if Jemma doesn’t feel the same – which I’m quite sure that she doesn’t. I _can’t_ lose Jemma, not to this, not to anything. And besides, we’re doing so well co-parenting Evelyn that I don’t want to muck everything up with my dumb _feelings_ ; we’ll just have that one night, that’s it.” He paused, but then added, “Oh, and well, the kiss of course.”

“Um, what _kiss_?” Hunter demanded, narrowing his eyes.

“Oh, right, I never mentioned that, huh?” Fitz smiled a bit sheepishly, then explained, “Right after Evelyn was born, Jemma and I kind of…kissed.” Seeing the look on Hunter’s face, he hurriedly went on, “I don’t think it meant anything, alright? We were both just emotional because Evelyn had been born and she was okay and it just kind of…spilled over into a kiss. But, it’s not like it’s the first time we’ve kissed and those other ones didn’t mean anything, did they? Why should this one?”

Fitz pointedly kept to himself the fact that he knew exactly why their most recent kiss meant more than the night they’d spent together; there was the lack of alcohol, of course, but there was also the fact that he was very much in love with Jemma now. Yes, their night together had been… _fantastic_ , unlike anything he’d ever experienced, but the kiss they’d shared after Evelyn’s birth? It had been ten times more fantastic, and there wasn’t a day that went by that he didn’t repeat the feel of Jemma’s lips against his over and over in his mind, reliving the soft, sweet pressure of them moving against his.

But, none of that mattered, really mattered, did it?

“Why am I just hearing about this now?” Hunter asked, his tone accusatory.

“Well, I’ve been rather _busy_ with my newborn daughter, if you’ll remember,” Fitz replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

Hunter seemed about to say more, no doubt wanting to offer his ‘advice’, but then Bobbi called over to them, “What are you two whispering about over there?”

Fitz turned to find her and Jemma watching them curiously, and he couldn’t stop heat from creeping across his neck and cheeks, even though he _knew_ Jemma couldn’t possibly have overheard their conversation. “Nothing,” he said quickly, hurrying away from Hunter and over to join them on the couch, sitting down beside Jemma.

She turned to him with a little smile of greeting that he couldn’t help but return, and he very pointedly ignored the looks he could see Hunter shooting him out of the corner of his eye.

-

“Are you going to be a good baby and let Mummy and Daddy get some sleep tonight?” Jemma cooed to Evelyn later that night, picking up her little hand where it rested on Fitz’s shoulder and stroking her thumb over the back of it. “I very much doubt it, but I’ll still love you anyway.”

Fitz chuckled quietly, shifting the slight weight of a sleepy Evelyn in his arms, rocking her a bit to help along the process. “Oh, she knows that we’ll love her to bits no matter what she does; she has us wrapped right around those adorable little fingers.”

Jemma laughed softly, nodding in agreement. “We’re going to be in so much trouble when she’s a rebellious teenager, aren’t we?”

“And where is this rebellious streak going to come from? Certainly not from _me_ – when I was a teenager, I spent my nights building model rockets and reading science journals.”

She gave an amused snort at that. “And I enjoyed doing _homework_ and following the rules. Perhaps we won’t have anything to worry about, then.”

“And if we do, we’ll know to blame it on Daisy’s influence,” Fitz teased, glancing down at Evelyn to see that her cheek was resting fully against his shoulder now, her little eyelids closed. “Ah, I think we’re good for the next hour or so.”

“I think so.” Jemma leaned in to kiss Evelyn’s forehead, and he could feel her hair brushing up against his chin, could smell her flowery perfume. “Good night, sweetheart,” she murmured, then fortunately stepped back, and he took the chance to try and get his heartbeat back to a normal speed.

“Goodnight, Evie,” he whispered, dropping a little kiss on her head before carefully laying her down in her crib.

For a moment, they lingered, watching Evelyn’s chest rise and fall as she slept, eyelashes fluttering and tiny lips parted. Jemma broke the silence to admit lowly, “I can’t believe it’s already been a month.”

“Yeah, me neither,” Fitz assured her, “it feels as though she was just born yesterday, doesn’t it?” When Jemma gave him a wry smile and nodded, he chuckled. “Imagine how we’ll feel when she’s turning a year old.”

She turned to him quickly, narrowing her eyes as she hissed, “Don’t _say_ that! I’m not ready for her to be a year old, Fitz!”

“Oh, and you think _I_ am? I was just making a statement.”

“Yes, well, keep your _statements_ to yourself.” Jemma softened the words with a teasing smile, nudging his shoulder with hers as she brushed by him to leave the nursery. Smiling fondly, Fitz followed her, turning down the lights and carefully shutting the door behind him. Jemma was waiting for him out in the hall, and he noted her sudden serious expression as she started, “Fitz, I…I can’t thank you enough. For being here, helping out with Evelyn…you’ve made this past month so much easier than it would’ve been if I’d been doing this myself.”

“Evelyn’s my responsibility too,” Fitz reminded her gently. “And besides, I wouldn’t have it any other way; I’d rather be here, helping you with two am diaper changes and her crying fits every few hours than anywhere else.”

Jemma gave him a tired smile, laughing softly. “You’re too sweet,” she told him, catching his hand to give it a grateful little squeeze.

However, as she went to let go and head to her bedroom to get some sleep, Fitz held on, tightening his fingers around hers slightly to get her attention. “Hey, I mean it. I _want_ to be here, Jemma. Don’t ever doubt that, okay?”

She seemed a bit taken aback by the firmness of his words, but then her lips quirked up in a slight smile and she nodded in understanding. “I won’t,” she promised solemnly. “Goodnight, Fitz.”

Reluctantly, Fitz released her hand as he replied quietly, “’Night, Jemma.” He watched as she headed down the hall (tip-toeing until she was past Evelyn’s nursery), then disappeared into her bedroom. He stepped out into the living room and dropped down onto the edge of her couch, which had served as his bed for many, many weeks now.

He sighed heavily, wishing more than anything that he could just make his feelings go away – it’d make all of this so much _easier_. Then, he’d never have to feel as though he was taking advantage of the situation to be close to her, he’d never have to wonder if he was overstepping a line, he’d never have to worry that she’d find out about his feelings, or that he might say the wrong thing and subsequently lose their unique, incredible friendship.

But, he thought to himself as he sagged back against the couch cushions, this had always been inevitable, whether he’d realized it or not. He couldn’t imagine ever _not_ falling for Jemma, couldn’t call to mind any possible situation where he wouldn’t have fallen in love with her brilliance and beauty and kind heart – not to mention, the fact that she was the _mother of his child_.

However, Fitz was resolved to deal with his unrequited feelings as long as he got to spend time with Jemma, got to have her and Evelyn in his life; he wouldn’t trade them for anything. He’d just have to learn how to suppress his feelings, and perhaps, somewhere down the line he’d even be able to forget about them, or at the very least be able push them to the back of his mind for a little while.

After all, he had the next eighteen years or so to work on it.


	9. Part Nine

“Is…is this the place?” Fitz asked skeptically, leaning closer to the window and squinting up at the long, winding driveway leading to the intimidating, snow-covered house with a Christmas wreath hung on the front door.

“Yes,” Jemma answered, unable to help the smile tugging at her lips as she gazed upon the house. “Home sweet home.”

She’d been prepared to spend Christmas at home that year, all of her extra money going to necessities for Evelyn, but her parents had surprised her by offering to pay for a plane ticket to Sheffield – and they’d even invited Fitz along, given that it was going to be his daughter’s first Christmas, something that he’d no doubt want to be present for. Much to Jemma’s delight, they’d been able to plan the trip so that they’d spend Christmas in Sheffield, then New Year’s in Glasgow, allowing them time with both their families.

As the cab pulled to a stop and Fitz climbed out, he cleared his throat and advised, “Just…don’t expect _my_ childhood home to look this, because you’ll find yourself sorely disappointed come Wednesday.”

Chuckling, Jemma stepped out of the car as well, unbuckling Evelyn’s car seat. “Don’t worry about that, Fitz, I’m sure your mother’s home is just as lovely.” Noticing that Fitz was juggling both of their suitcases in addition to Evelyn’s bags, she rolled her eyes and said, “Let me take something.”

“You’ve got Evie,” he reminded her, dodging out of the way of her reach as she attempted to grab for one of the bags. “I’ve got these.”

Sighing exasperatedly, Jemma hefted Evelyn’s car seat and mock-whispered to her, “Your daddy’s going to end up hurting himself with his ridiculous chivalry someday, sweetheart.”

“Yeah, well, better me than you,” Fitz muttered, panting a bit as he followed her up the steps and through the front door. Once inside the entryway, he dropped the bags onto the floor with a relieved groan, causing Jemma to give another little roll of her eyes.

“Is anyone home?” she called, her voice echoing through the halls.

The call was closely followed by the sound of footsteps hurrying down the stairs, and it wasn’t a moment more before Jemma’s younger sister, Charlotte, appeared. She beamed at the sight of her sister, darting forward to practically envelope Jemma in an embrace. “Jem! I’ve missed you so _much_ and I can’t believe you have a _baby_ – really though, what I can’t believe it that _you_ of all people have a baby daddy –”

She’d clearly been about to go on, but Fitz cleared his throat then, capturing Charlotte’s attention. He was flushed in obvious embarrassment, and waved awkwardly when she glanced over curiously. Jemma could feel her own cheeks warming, even as she introduced pointedly, “Charlotte, this is Fitz – the ‘ _baby daddy_ ’, as it were.”

Charlotte winced, laughing uncomfortably as she rubbed the back of her neck. “ _Oh_. Um, sorry?” Fitz waved off her apology, and it wasn’t even a moment later that she was distracted by the sight of Evelyn, bundled up in her car seat. “Oh my _god_ , Jem, she’s adorable!”

“We think so too,” Jemma replied with a little smile, watching as Charlotte squatted down to get a better look at Evelyn.

“Jemma!”

Glancing up, Jemma noticed her mother headed toward them, smiling widely at the sight of her. “Hi Mum,” she greeted warmly, stepping forward to give her a hug.

“You look well,” she commented approvingly, briefly cupping Jemma’s cheeks. “I’m so happy to finally have you home.”

“I’m happy to be home,” Jemma admitted, catching her mother’s hands in hers and giving them a squeeze.

Her mother’s gaze drifted over her shoulder then, and Jemma glanced back to find that Charlotte now had Evelyn cradled in her arms. “Oh Jemma darling, she’s even more beautiful than in the pictures you’d sent.”

“Thank you,” Jemma murmured, then gestured for Fitz to come join them. “Mum, this is Fitz; Fitz, this is my mother, Eleanor.”

“Nice to meet you,” Fitz greeted, holding out his hand.

“You as well,” her mother replied, grasping his hand to shake. “Thank you for coming, Fitz.”

“No, no, thank you for having me,” he said hastily. “It was so kind of you and Mr. Simmons to do this.”

Her mother smiled warmly, shooting Jemma a little look of what she was sure had to be approval. “Of course, it’s no trouble at all.”

“Speaking of Dad,” Jemma cut in, “when will he be home from work?”

“Just in time for dinner, if I know your father,” her mother teased, before adding, “Lukas, Oliver, and Grace should be arriving any time now.”

“Oh _good_!” After all, it had been _ages_ since she’d seen her older brother and his two children, and she’d missed them all dearly. “Come on Fitz, let’s go get our things settled, then.”

As they trekked up the stairs to the second floor, Fitz finally allowed her to take a couple of the bags (partially, she imagined, because he wasn’t sure he could carry all of it up a flight of stairs), but she paused uncertainly in the hallway.

“I…didn’t quite remember the guest room being so far away,” she admitted awkwardly, eyeing the room at the end of the hallway, then her childhood bedroom, all the way at the opposite end of the hall. “I had my dad put the crib in my bedroom.”

“That’s alright,” Fitz hurried to assure her, “I’ll just get some much-needed exercise, that’s all.”

Jemma threw a disbelieving look at him as she deadpanned, “You’re going to stumble back and forth down this hall in the dark multiple times, every night?” When he shrugged, she shook her head. “Fitz, that’s not fair to you.”

“Well, you’re not taking full Evelyn duty, because that’s not fair either,” he argued. “I can just sleep on the floor in your room.”

“Absolutely _not_ ,” she protested immediately, “you’re not sleeping on the floor for almost a _week_!”

“What d’you suggest then?” Fitz asked, spreading his hands helplessly.

Jemma frowned, chewing her lip thoughtfully, before the most obvious solution hit her. “Oh! Why don’t you just share my bed?” When he shot an incredulous look at her, she planted her hands on her hips and pointed out, “We’ve shared beds before – what makes this any different?” Much to her confusion, though, he seemed to hesitate, shuffling a bit. Thinking perhaps that he was uncomfortable with the idea of sharing a bed while in the same house as her family, she offered gently, “You don’t _have_ to, Fitz; perhaps there’s a cot or something we could find for you.”

But, Fitz shook his head at that. “No, don’t worry about it, it’ll be fine.” She didn’t quite believe him, but nodded regardless, picking back up the bags she’d set down and leading the way to her bedroom.

It wasn’t long after they’d gotten settled that her father and Luke had arrived (and been introduced to Fitz, of course), and they’d all had dinner before moving to the lounge to decorate the bare Christmas tree together. Oliver and Grace jumped right in, messily placing garland and tinsel, hanging ornaments as though it was a race (though they slowed considerably after Luke warned them not to break anything).

As Jemma helped with hanging some of the more fragile ornaments, however, Charlotte stepped up beside her, and asked in a whisper, “What’s going on with you and Fitz?”

Startled, Jemma automatically looked over to Fitz, who was hanging back, sitting on the couch and holding a sleepy Evelyn. “What are you talking about?” she replied, matching her sister’s tone.

Charlotte shot her a dry look. “Oh, I don’t know, maybe about the fact that you have a baby together, spend all of your time together, and claim to be ‘just friends’, but now you’re apparently sharing a _bed_?”

Sighing wearily, Jemma shook her head and explained, “It’s not what you’re making it out to be, Char. We really are just good friends – perhaps, even best friends now – and Fitz is only sleeping in the same bed as me to make it easier to take care of Evelyn during the night.” Wryly, she reminded her, “After all, it clearly won’t be the first time we’ve shared a bed.”

Charlotte still seemed skeptical, but nodded anyway. “Alright.” Then, she glanced over her shoulder at Fitz, and admitted, “It’s a shame, though, because Fitz is super cute – and an even cuter dad.”

“He is a wonderful father,” Jemma agreed instantly, “I couldn’t have asked for a better man to be the father of my child.” At that moment, she turned to look over at Fitz as well, and found that he was now talking to little Grace, who was proudly showing him the arts and crafts they’d done in school that week, making ornaments and paper chains. He was oohing and awwing appropriately, which only seemed to make Grace more excited, and it brought a fond little smile to Jemma’s lips as she imagined him doing the same for Evelyn’s artwork a few years from now.

He really was the greatest father, wasn’t he? She was so _lucky_.

Or, well, rather, _Evelyn_ was so lucky.

-

The following night, after a long day of wrapping presents and baking cookies with Grace and Oliver to put out for Father Christmas, Jemma found herself being startled into wakefulness by a sharp wail that she knew automatically was Evelyn.

Before she could make a move to get out of bed or even crack open one eye though, Fitz mumbled, “I’ve got her.” She heard him shuffling across the room, then felt the mattress dip a moment later as he sat back down beside her. Evelyn was still crying, though it was quieter now that her father had her in his arms. “I think she’s hungry.”

Still half-asleep, Jemma forced herself up into a sitting position, fumbling in the dark to find Evelyn and take her from Fitz. Moving completely on autopilot, she settled Evelyn in her arms against her chest, then slumped against Fitz with a large yawn.

“Happy Christmas,” he said suddenly, prompting Jemma to peer in surprise at the clock on her bedside table. Sure enough, it was just after three in the morning, meaning that Fitz was right, and it was Christmas.

Smiling softly, she murmured, “Happy Christmas to you as well, Fitz.” Stroking the backs of her fingers over Evelyn’s soft little cheek, she added, “And a happy first Christmas to you, sweetheart.”

When Evelyn had finished eating, Fitz took her back from Jemma, dropping a loving kiss on her forehead as he told her softly, “Happy first Christmas, Evie.” She drowsily cuddled right up to Fitz, and he gave a mock-sigh, getting comfortable up against the headboard. “Oh alright, you can stay awhile longer I suppose, since it’s Christmas and all.”

Undoubtedly, they’d fallen asleep just like that, leaning heavily on each other up against the headboard with Evelyn in Fitz’s arms, as the next thing Jemma was aware of was the bedroom door flying open and Oliver crying, “Wake up, it’s Christmas!”

Fitz released a pained groan as he muttered, “It’ll still be Christmas in a couple of hours.”

Turning her head, Jemma stifled a tired laugh in his shoulder as she advised him, “That’ll never work.” With that, she wearily climbed out of bed, stretching her arms up above her head and letting out a yawn. Fitz stumbled out of bed as well, but he was groaning the entire time, obviously not ready to be awake yet.

Once they’d gotten downstairs, however, he perked up a bit at the smell of the traditional Christmas breakfast her mother and father already had going, not so upset at being awake as long as there was a promise of food. They all sat down to breakfast together, even though the children wolfed their food down, antsy to get to opening their presents. Finally, after everyone had finished eating, they were allowed to go into the lounge and start opening presents, while the adults drank their tea and watched on in amusement.

Some time ago, Fitz and Jemma had agreed not to get each other presents, since they both thought they’d already received the best present possible that year in the form of Evelyn. However, they _had_ purchased some presents for Evelyn together, which they’d left back home at Jemma’s flat to open later – since she was so little, it didn’t really matter _when_ she received the presents anyway.

So, Jemma was understandably surprised when Fitz produced a wrapped gift and handed it to her while everyone else was preoccupied by their own presents. “Fitz…we _agreed_ –”

“Yeah, I know,” he hurriedly assured her, pressing the present further into her hands, “this one’s from _Evelyn_ , to her mum.”

She shot a doubtful look at Evelyn, where she sat in Jemma’s dad’s arms, sucking contentedly on a pacifier. “Oh _really_?”

“I gave her a bit of help with it,” he added with an amused chuckle. When she continued to gaze unsurely down at the present, he urged, “Open it.”

Heaving a put-upon sigh, Jemma removed the wrapping paper, revealing a frame that contained a picture of Evelyn’s tiny footprints, done in red paint and forming a little heart. Her name and birthday were written beneath the footprint-heart in Fitz’s handwriting.

She didn’t know what to say at first, unable to find the correct words to express how much she absolutely _loved_ it; but, when she did find her words, it was instead to tearfully accuse him, “I can’t believe you got me a present even after we explicitly stated that we wouldn’t exchange gifts.”

“It’s from _Evelyn_ ,” Fitz corrected smugly, “and she promised no such thing, Jemma.”

Rolling her eyes at him, Jemma started to ask, “When did you…” But, then she trailed off, gasping out, “ _This_ is what you and Hunter were doing while Bobbi took me out to lunch!” She’d wondered why both Fitz and Hunter had been splashed with red paint, and why Evelyn had absolutely _had_ to take her bath early that day – now it made complete sense. 

He nodded sheepishly, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck. “Yeah, it…wasn’t as easy as we’d expected it to be.”

“Thank you, Fitz,” she murmured, reaching out to find his hand with hers and giving it a grateful squeeze.

“No, it’s not from _me_ ,” he reminded her, “it’s –” He cut himself off, however, when Jemma leaned in to press a kiss to his cheek.

“ _Thank you_ ,” she repeated firmly, and this time he simply shrugged, gazing intently down at his lap rather than meeting her eyes.

-

“Come on, Dad! Hurry up!” Oliver cried later that day, dancing anxiously by the door, holding his new sled in his hands as he intently watched his father zipping up his coat.

“The snow will still be there in five minutes, kid,” Luke told him tiredly, winding his scarf around his neck. To Grace, who was hovering just as impatiently by her brother, bouncing on her tiptoes, he said, “Hey Gracie, why don’t you ask Fitz if he wants to come with us?”

Grace, who had taken quite a shine to Fitz, lit up and immediately hurried over to where Fitz was sitting beside Jemma in the lounge. “Wanna come sledding with us, Uncle Fitz?” she asked, clasping her hands together beneath her little chin and pouting up at him.

There was a beat of silence, then Fitz replied, “Yeah, sure,” much to Grace’s delight. He allowed her to drag him over to the door, barely given a moment to pull his coat on before he was being tugged outside.

“I’m glad everyone’s been so welcoming to Fitz,” Jemma admitted to Charlotte after the door had closed behind them, absently shifting a napping Evelyn in her arms. However, when she turned to face Charlotte, she found her sister gazing at her incredulously. “What?” she asked a bit self-consciously.

“ _Um_ , did you not hear Gracie call him ‘ _Uncle_ Fitz’?” Charlotte asked, folding her arms over her chest and arching an eyebrow.

Of course Jemma had _heard_ it, but until that moment and Charlotte’s pointed question, she hadn’t even registered it as odd. “Oh. Well…it’s fine if that’s what she wants to call him – it’s not like Fitz is some boyfriend of mine that she’ll never see again; he’s her cousin’s father. Besides, it’s not doing any harm.”

Charlotte’s disbelief didn’t quite fade, but she didn’t push the subject either. “Whatever you say, Jem.”

Luke and Fitz spent a couple of hours out in the snow with Grace and Oliver, but when it was time for dinner, Jemma leant out the backdoor and called into the gathering darkness, “Dinner!”

It was mere moments before the kids came racing inside, stomping the snow from their boots. Luke wasn’t far behind, hefting their clearly forgotten sleds, and Fitz brought up the rear, lingering on the doormat to keep from tracking more snow inside.

“Have fun?” Jemma asked, smiling at the sight of his rosy cheeks and the snowflakes still clinging to his curls.

“Actually, yeah,” Fitz admitted, tugging off his gloves. “I can’t wait until Evie’s old enough to play in the snow; I know she’ll love it.”

All of a sudden, Grace began giggly madly, and when Jemma glanced over, she noticed her niece pointing to something above her and Fitz. “ _Oh_!” Charlotte cried, letting out a delighted laugh. “Looks like someone’s under the mistletoe! Let’s see a kiss, then!”

Just barely catching sight of Oliver pretending to gag out of the corner of her eye, Jemma quickly tilted her head back to find that, yes, she and Fitz _were_ standing beneath a sprig of mistletoe she’d apparently missed. “Oh.”

Fitz shifted uncomfortably, and Jemma didn’t feel very much like kissing him in front of her family, but ultimately she figured that it was nothing – they’d kissed just three months ago, after all, when Evelyn had been born, so how was this any different?

With that in mind, she tugged a slightly reluctant Fitz closer, leaning up to kiss him. His lips were chilly against hers from being outside, but still remarkably soft and gentle, and for some reason it very much _felt_ different. As he returned the kiss, pressing his lips a bit more firmly against hers and his cool fingers grasped at her waist, that strange, powerful _something_ their last kiss had inspired in her surged through her once more, from her head all the way to her toes.

When they broke apart a moment later, Jemma was left feeling oddly lightheaded and flushed. But, she still couldn’t quite put her finger on why this kiss had felt different, so she simply wrote it off as the fact that they’d had an audience this time. That had to be it, of course – what else could it possibly be?

Thankfully, the remaining few hours of the day went just as smoothly as the rest of it had, and it wasn’t long before Jemma and Fitz were climbing into bed, Evelyn finally asleep in her crib. Briefly, Jemma scooted closer to Fitz to close the distance they kept between them on the mattress, placing a hand on his chest and leaning in to press another kiss to his cheek.

“Thank you,” she murmured, pulling back slightly to find his surprised gaze trained on her, “for making this Christmas truly wonderful, for making a dream I hadn’t known I had come true in giving me Evelyn, and for being in my life. This has been one of the best Christmases I’ve ever had, Fitz.”

For a long moment, Fitz simply gazed at her, a look in his eyes that she’d never seen before. She heard him take a shuddery breath in, and he seemed about to say something, something _important_ , but then he hesitated and said simply, “Yeah, I feel the same way. Happy Christmas, Jemma.”

Easily disregarding the strange moment, Jemma smiled warmly, finding his hand to give it a brief squeeze. Then, she moved back to her side of the bed, which felt a lot colder all of a sudden. But, of course, that was to be expected in winter, so she just huddled further under the blankets and closed her eyes, giving in to sleep.


	10. Part Nine and a Half

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Follow-up to the previous part; a little ficlet of their trip to Glasgow, which was originally just going to be mentioned in the next part, but by request I ended up writing it instead.

“ _Oh_! There’s my darling!”

Spotting his mother in the crowded train station, Fitz had already half-raised his hand in greeting when she rushed right by him, scooping Evelyn up out of her car seat to immediately begin fawning over her, commenting on how _big_ she’d gotten since she’d last seen her.

Scowling playfully as Jemma tried unsuccessfully to stifle her giggles, Fitz turned to his mother with his hands planted on his hips. “ _Oi_ , beloved only child over here!”

Chuckling, his mother glanced up from where she’d been spreading kisses all over Evelyn’s chubby cheeks. “Sorry, love.” She shifted Evelyn in her arms, stepping forward to give him a one-armed hug and a kiss on the cheek. Then, she turned to embrace Jemma as well, telling her, “I’m so happy to see you again, dear. Thank you for squeezing me in for the holidays.”

“Oh, no, it wasn’t a problem,” Jemma quickly assured her, shaking her head. “It was my pleasure, truly, and I’m delighted to see you again as well – and to benefit from your cooking skills, of course.”

“Well, perhaps I’ll even give you those cooking lessons we talked about,” his mother offered with a smile as she gestured for them to follow her out of the station.

Jemma beamed at the idea, nodding excitedly. “Oh, that would be lovely, thank you!”

After a relatively short drive, they’d arrived at his childhood home, and as his mother watched Evelyn (or, more accurately, refused to give her back), Fitz gave Jemma the all-too brief tour. They ended up in his bedroom, model rockets and Tony Stark posters and all, and as he gestured to the bed, he informed her, “You can sleep in here, and I’m gonna take the couch downstairs, okay?”

He hadn’t actually _expected_ her to agree without comment, but whatever slight hopes he’d had that she might were dashed when she leveled a _look_ at him and asked exasperatedly, “Have you forgotten about how we _just_ had this argument a few days ago?”

Fitz crossed his arms over his chest, shifting uncomfortably as he was forcibly reminded of how it’d felt to fall asleep and wake up beside Jemma for _days_ , always finding her limbs somehow tangled up in his, or her head resting on his chest. He just didn’t think he could do it anymore, not without losing his sanity.

To Jemma, however, he offered the excuse, “The bed in your room was much larger than this tiny twin bed.”

“We can make it work,” she insisted, setting her suitcase down and going to perch on the edge of the bed. “The very last thing I want is for Evelyn to start crying in the middle of night, and causing you to fall down the stairs and break your leg or something on your way up here.”

“Oh come on, I’d be fine,” he promised, but he already knew that she wasn’t going to let up (Jemma was one of the most stubborn people he’d ever met, and he loved her for it, but _god_ sometimes it was frustrating). So, with a silent sigh, he simply gave in, telling her, “But…I’ll stay, alright?”

Even as Jemma beamed happily at getting her way, Fitz was already counting on the fact that she’d realize tonight just how cramped that little bed could be (not that he’d ever shared it with another person – seriously, he wasn’t sure she even realized just how much of a miracle it was that he’d even had the _chance_ to get someone pregnant), and then he could escape downstairs.

After getting their things settled in his room, they had dinner and spent a little more time chatting with his mother, before starting to get Evelyn ready for bed. When she was finally asleep and sure to stay that way for at least a little bit, Jemma climbed into his bed and scooted right up against the wall, but Fitz was hesitant to follow.

Jemma, however, quickly noticed and rolled her eyes at him, gesturing for him to join her as she reminded him flatly, “Come on, Fitz, we’ve been a _lot_ closer than this before.”

Well, he really hadn’t needed a reminder of _that_ , thank you – especially not when he was about to find himself all pressed up against her. But, he still sucked it up and lifted the covers to get into bed beside her, the entire length of his body pressed up against hers.

“See?” she said smugly. “We fit just fine.”

Fitz couldn’t help but wonder what her definition of ‘fine’ was, but out loud, he simply muttered, “Yeah,” before rolling away from her to pretend that he was trying to sleep.

Just then, he was reminded (as he was almost daily) of how he’d come so close to telling her about his feelings on Christmas; thankfully, he’d managed to stop himself before he could ruin the best thing in his life. Though, truthfully, he had to wonder now how much longer he could go on like this.

He wanted to believe that over the next few years, he’d be able to learn how to ignore his feelings for Jemma, but the more they were forced closely together like they had been this whole trip (and he pointedly skipped right past the memory of their kiss beneath the mistletoe), he couldn’t imagine that ever happening.

Of course, there was no way that he’d ever be able to take himself out of the equation or lessen his time with her to allow himself time to try and get over her. Not only was that what was best for him and not _Evelyn_ , but he also loved Jemma too much; he couldn’t imagine not seeing her smile every day, not hearing her laugh or watching the way her nose crinkled and her eyes lit up.

So, once more, Fitz was left with only one option: suffer in silence.

-

The next few days were weekdays, and so while his mother had to work, Fitz took the time to show Jemma around Glasgow – at her request, of course. Since his mother was working, though, it was just him, Jemma, and Evelyn going out and spending time together each day, like a little family. It was wonderful, really, but ended up hurting far more than he’d ever thought it could because they _weren’t_ a family, not really. Not in the way that he was sure the people they passed on the street must have thought, not in the way that he couldn’t stop himself from wishing for.

Finally, though, it was New Year’s Eve, and they’d be leaving late tomorrow night to head back home, and hopefully it’d start to become a bit easier for him to push back his feelings for Jemma and focus instead on Evelyn, work, and his normal day-to-day life.

“What’s the matter, darling?”

Startled, Fitz glanced up from where he’d been gazing forlornly into his tea, meeting his mother’s worried gaze. Jemma had left the table a handful of minutes ago to get Evelyn ready for bed, and he could hear from the TV on in the living room that there were still a few more hours yet until midnight. “Nothing,” he answered half-heartedly.

She leveled him with a knowing look, then sighed and guessed, “It’s Jemma, isn’t it?” When he arched his eyebrows in disbelief, she admitted, “I see how you look at her, Leo – I’ve seen it for the moment I met her, actually, but I can’t let it go unsaid any longer.”

Sighing heavily, Fitz sagged slightly in his chair at the kitchen table, dragging a weary hand over his face. “I _know_. I never meant for it to happen, but I can’t do anything to change the way that I feel, so…so I’m just gonna have to live with it.”

Smiling sympathetically, she reached across the table to give his hand a supportive squeeze. “You know, in any other situation, I’d encourage you to just go for it, but I understand why you can’t; you have to think of what’s best for Evelyn first, and that makes this complicated.” When he nodded sadly in agreement, she added slowly, “But, maybe what’s best for Evelyn could be her parents being _together_ –”

“ _But_ ,” Fitz cut in, “if there isn’t a one hundred percent guarantee that Jemma feels the same, then it just isn’t work the risk, Mum.”

She was quiet for a moment, then started softly, “When you become a parent, you begin to realize just how much you’ll truly do for your child, how much pain you’re willing to endure as long as they’re safe and happy.” Giving a soft sigh, she squeezed his hand once more and told him, “As your mother, I want nothing more than to see you happy. I can’t stand to see you like this, Leo, so down and upset. But, I know why you’re keeping it to yourself and suffering; because it’s for _your_ child.”

“Yeah,” Fitz agreed lowly, nodding and offering her a small smile of gratitude, happy to have at least one person who recognized that he was simply doing what he had to.

“I’m so proud of you,” she murmured, blinking back the tears he could see shining in her eyes, “so proud of the man you’ve become and the father that you are, despite the example that was set for you.”

Shaking his head, Fitz corrected, “No, the only example that he ever set was the man, the _father_ not to be. You know, even when Jemma was pregnant, before I’d ever even held Evelyn, I’d put my hand on her stomach and feel Evie kicking and I just… _knew_ that I’d never do anything to hurt her. I knew I’d do anything, sacrifice everything I had just to protect her.” Swallowing a bit roughly, he admitted lowly, “I don’t understand how someone could _not_ feel that way about their child.” But, he was quick to add reassuringly, “I’m done trying to figure it out, though, because I never _will_ understand.”

His mother nodded wordlessly, but she was still watching him with some concern. Fitz knew she just wanted what was best for him, but that was exactly what _this_ was.

“It’s okay, Mum; I’m okay with putting Evie first, and more than that, I _want_ to. When it comes to her, my feelings are always going to be less important, and that’s _okay_.”

Keeping her tone subdued, she told him, “I get that Leo, I truly do, but it’s also okay to try and find happiness for yourself. In the end, you being happy benefits Evelyn as well.”

Her words caught him off-guard; he’d never thought of it that way before. _Maybe…_

But, he was quick to shake that train of thought off before it could get any further, standing up to give his mother a grateful hug. “Thanks for the talk, Mum.”

“Anytime,” she promised as he stepped back.

“I’m gonna go say goodnight to Evie, then I’ll be back down ready to ring in the New Year,” he promised with a chuckle, leaving her in the kitchen to head up the stairs to his childhood bedroom. Upon entering the room, he found Jemma just carefully laying Evelyn down in his old crib.

“Did you have a good talk with your mum?” she asked softly over her shoulder. Fitz was so taken aback at the abrupt question, he couldn’t quite find the words to answer it. With her back still to him, Jemma admitted, “I knew something was bothering you, but I didn’t feel it was my place, so…I gave you time to talk with your mother.”

Guilt surged inside of Fitz, twisting his stomach up in knots and making him feel sick. “Hey, no, you should never feel like you’re intruding or overstepping, Jemma. Yeah, our situation is complicated, but we’re still friends and I take that seriously. I _want_ to talk to you, and I don’t ever try to keep things from you; there are just some things that I don’t want to burden you with.”

There was a beat of silence, then Jemma turned to face him, chewing her bottom lip anxiously. “What you feel is _never_ a burden to me. You’re one of my closest friends now, and you’re _so_ important to me, Fitz. I just want us to be open with each other, alright?”

Even as Fitz forced himself to nod, he felt as though he was _dying_ inside; oh how he wished he could just tell her, could stop all of the lying and the hiding and just be _honest_. But, instead, he told her, “It wasn’t important anyway. I talked it over with my mum and got everything sorted, so I’m alright now.”

She studied him carefully for a moment, but when he gave her a genuine albeit small smile, she returned it and murmured, “Alright.” Turning back to the crib, she whispered, “Goodnight, Evelyn, and Happy New Year. I love you, sweetheart.” After dropping a kiss on her fingers and pressing them to Evelyn’s forehead, she brushed past Fitz and slipped out of the room.

Fitz took a couple of steps forward, until he was standing over the crib and could see that Evelyn’s eyes were already closed, her tiny fingers curled into fists. He reached down to lightly stroke his fingertips over the back of her soft little hand, and promised lowly, “I’m always gonna put you first, Evie, because you’re more important than _anything_. I’m gonna try not to screw up, and I’m gonna do whatever it takes to make sure that you never have to feel the pain of separated parents who can barely stand the sight of each other, of never seeing one of your parents, of never having your family together. I’m gonna do my best to give you the family that you deserve, even if it’s not everything it could be.”

Pausing, he released a quiet sigh, just briefly entertaining his dreams of the family they _could_ be. Dreams of how when Evelyn woke up in the morning, she’d run into the bedroom he shared with Jemma, jumping onto the bed with them and giggling at them to wake up. Dreams of how they could have _true_ family outings, and he’d hold Jemma’s hand as Evelyn excitedly raced ahead (but not too far, of course). Dreams of giving Evelyn siblings to play with when he and Jemma were too exhausted to do so another second longer – she’d be a wonderful big sister, he just knew it.

But, it wasn’t meant to be, and he knew that with absolute clarity now. “I’m sorry love, but it’s all I can offer and I’m afraid it’ll have to be enough. I’ll make sure that you get that much, even though you deserve the world, and more than that.” Lifting his hand to gently caress her cheek, he murmured fiercely, “I love you more than anything, Evie, and I always will.”


	11. Part Ten

“Have you got everything?”

Completely caught off-guard by the voice coming from somewhere behind him, Fitz nearly dropped the pile of folded clothes in his arms. “Jemma!” He placed the pile down in his suitcase, then held a hand to his thundering heart, bending a bit at the waist as he took a couple of deep breaths. “What’re you doing up so early?”

Jemma gave him a sheepish smile as she closed the space between them, reaching into his suitcase to straighten the haphazardly folded clothes. “Well, I happened to be awake, so I figured I’d see you off.” She threw a disapproving look down at his suitcase, and the things he still had left to pack. “Isn’t your flight in an hour? I told you that you should’ve started packing yesterday.”

Fitz rolled his eyes fondly as he tossed a handful of rolled-up socks in beside his other clothes. “Yeah yeah, you were right and I was wrong, as always.”

She shot a smirk in his direction, even as she passed his bag of toiletries to him. “Of course I was.” As she watched him finishing up, however, she shifted a bit uncertainly and asked, “You’re only going to be gone a couple of days, right?”

Pausing in the process of zipping up the suitcase, Fitz glanced up worriedly at her as he confirmed, “Yeah, the conference will be done by Sunday night, and I’ll be back Monday morning. Why? Did you need something?”

“No, no!” Jemma hastened to assure him, and she almost appeared to be blushing in the early morning darkness of her flat, but he couldn’t be sure that it wasn’t just a trick of the low light. “I just wanted to double-check, so that I knew when to tell Evelyn that you’d be back.”

Chuckling, Fitz finished with the zipper and set the suitcase down as he took a step closer to Jemma. “Jem, Evelyn’s not even six months old yet, I think it’ll be fine.”

“Babies understand more than we know,” Jemma insisted, folding her arms over her chest petulantly. “And I think she’ll understand that her father is missing for a couple of days.”

“I’ll be back before she knows it,” he promised her, reaching out to briefly squeeze her shoulder reassuringly. It wasn’t as if he _wanted_ to leave Jemma and Evelyn, even for just a handful of days, but he couldn’t possibly get out of the yearly engineering conference. And, besides, he figured that perhaps it would be good for him to spend some time away from Jemma – after all, spending each and every day with her likely wasn’t helping in his half-hearted attempts to get over his feelings for her.

Even though it would be the first time he’d been away from Evelyn since she’d been born and he was struggling with just the idea of not being able to see her beautiful face and hold her every day, he knew that distance from Jemma was something he was in desperate need of. After his talk with his mother back in December, he’d only become more resolved in his decision to try and simply ignore his feelings – it was difficult, to say the least, but it was better than any alternative he could imagine.

“I should probably get going,” Fitz said, shooting a glance at the watch on his wrist. “I already popped in to say goodbye to Evie, so…I’ll see you in a few days?”

Jemma eyed him for a moment, an unreadable expression on her face, but then she nodded and smiled slightly. “Yes, in a few days. You’ll call when you land?”

“Of course. And, I’ll try to Skype every night so that I can see Evie.” As she nodded, he picked up the handle of his suitcase, and took a step toward the door. “Bye, Jemma.”

Her lips parted, as though she was about to respond, but then she abruptly surged forward and wrapped her arms around him in a warm embrace, burying her face between his neck and shoulder. Fitz was so startled, his free hand flailed about indecisively for a moment before he finally settled it on her back, where he could feel the warmth of her skin radiating through her thin pajama top. “Bye Fitz,” she murmured, clinging to him for another, lengthy moment, then stepping back to give him a weak smile.

For the briefest of moments, Fitz felt a flash of uncertainty at how much Jemma clearly didn’t want him to go. He very nearly said screw the conference and decided to just stay there with Jemma and Evelyn – but he knew that whatever reason Jemma had for not wanting him to leave, it clearly wasn’t the same reasons he had for wanting to stay.

So, he forced a smile in return, and put more distance between them, opening the front door and stepping into the doorway. “See you soon.”

“Yeah,” she agreed, absently tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Have a safe flight, Fitz.”

Fitz nodded, taking the last step out into the hallway and closing the door behind him, causing Jemma to disappear from his sight. He could do this; he could spend a couple days away from her. He’d been doing it for most of his life, after all, it wasn’t like they were attached at the hip or anything, they were just two friends with a baby, they…

_Damn it_. He missed her already.

-

By the time Fitz’s plane had landed and he was stepping out of the airport, he already had a slew of unopened texts on his phone. There were several from Hunter, complaining about something or another that he and Bobbi had gotten into a fight about, a few from Bobbi explaining what had really happened, one from Daisy promising to keep an eye on Jemma and Evelyn for him, and…

_Twenty-three unopened texts from Jemma_.

His eyebrows rising toward his hairline, Fitz barely noticed as he climbed into the back of his cab, ignoring his other texts in favor of opening the ones from Jemma. For the most part, it was a play-by-play of everything that she and Evelyn were doing that day – a text for when Evelyn woke up, a text about how they were watching Disney movies, a text explaining that Evelyn had had Cheerios and slices of banana for breakfast, and so on, some even with accompanying pictures of Evelyn.

Each one had Fitz’s smile growing wider, and he felt as though he could pretend for a second that he was still home, experiencing the day right alongside them. He was about to send Jemma a reply, thanking her, but then he came to the last set of messages and paused.

It was a picture of Jemma and Evelyn, in which Evelyn was hugging the stuffed monkey he’d gotten her not long after she’d been born, and Jemma was affecting an exaggerated pout. The message below it read, “ _we miss you! :(((_ ”, and it had Fitz suddenly feeling the full force of the separation.

_To: Jemma  
Just landed – I’ll call when I get to the hotel. Miss you both too :(_

He’d never thought it was possible to miss two people so much; sure, it’d been difficult when he’d left Glasgow, and he missed his mother dearly, but this was…different, somehow. All he knew was that it was taking everything in him not to get on the first flight back, and to never leave again.

But thankfully, Fitz managed to hold onto his resolve – though that didn’t stop him from spending the entire cab ride to the hotel staring at the picture of Evelyn and Jemma, wishing they weren’t miles away from him just then.

It was with a heavy heart that he checked into the hotel, though things did get a bit better once he’d arrived at his room and spent a brief amount of time talking to Jemma on the phone. But, they had to keep the conversation short, since he was due to attend his first meeting that afternoon.

Conferences like this were always a bore, but this time it just seemed to drag on and on, and by the time his meeting had finished, Fitz was in desperate need of a drink. After leaving the conference room, he made a beeline straight for the hotel bar, and had just sat down on a stool and received his drink when he heard a call of, “Fitz!”

Surprised, he glanced up at the sound of his name, a slight smile quirking his lips at the sight of his fellow engineer, Chelsea Erickson. Though they both worked for the same company, they were from different branches, and only ever crossed paths at events like this. “Hey Erickson.”

She pulled up the stool beside him, arching her eyebrows as she surveyed him. “Alright, what’s up with you, Fitz? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you looking this upset before.”

“I’m not…upset,” Fitz said, shaking his head and sighing as he rested his chin on his hand. “I just…well, I miss my daughter, that’s all.”

Chelsea had just accepted her own drink from the bartender, and she nearly choked on her first sip at his admission. Wincing apologetically, Fitz awkwardly reached out to offer assistance of some kind, but she quickly waved him away. “ _Um_ , since when you do have a daughter?” she asked in bewilderment.

He made a face, shrugging as he explained simply, “Let’s just say the story starts with a lot of tequila and ends with me being a dad.”

“Whoa.” Chelsea shook her head slowly in disbelief. “So…how old is she, then? What’s her name?”

“Her name’s Evelyn, and she’ll be six months on the twentieth of next month,” he answered, unable to help the proud smile that always curved his lips when he talked about her.

Chelsea smiled brightly in response, and nudged him teasingly in the ribs with her elbow. “Alright, you’ve got the proud dad smile, so I know you have to have some pictures of her that you can show me.”

“Yeah, definitely,” Fitz assured her, sliding his phone out of his pocket and pulling up his photos. As he swiped through the numerous pictures of Evelyn he had, he narrated for her, “This is Evie with Jemma just after she was born, here she is with my mum, that’s her with our friend Daisy, here she’s wearing a little dress, and that’s her at the park with Jemma, one of Jemma pushing her on the swings, and in this one she’s smiling, and that’s the first time she saw snow.” The last one he showed her was the one Jemma had sent that day, and without his notice, his voice grew soft as he said, “And that’s her and Jemma today, telling me that they miss me.”

“She’s absolutely adorable, Fitz,” Chelsea gushed as she leaned back, “and so is how much you love being her father.”

Fitz flushed, shrugging a bit as he took a moment to glance at the handful of unanswered messages from Jemma he had. “Yeah…I love it more than I love being an engineer.”

Chelsea smiled warmly at him, taking another sip of her drink before she asked slowly, “So…is Jemma her mother, then?”

“What?” Surprised at the question, he lifted his gaze from his phone to meet Chelsea’s curious one. “Oh. Yeah, Jemma’s her mother. I thought…didn’t I say that?” When she shook her head, he admitted, “Jemma’s friends with my friend’s wife, and we met at their wedding.”

“So you’re together then?” she surmised, nodding in understanding.

“No!” Quickly, Fitz shook his head, not letting her go any further with that thought. “No, we’re just really good friends now. Y’know…bonded by the experience of being parents and all that.”

Chelsea gave him that same, disbelieving look that Jemma always seemed to when she knew that he was lying. “Uh- _huh_.” Pursing her lips, she studied him over the rim of her glass, took another drink, then as she placed the glass back on the bar, she said plainly, “You know, I told myself that this was going to be the time that I asked you out, but I can see that that’s not going to happen.”

“Wait… _what_?” Fitz’s eyes grew wide as his jaw dropped open, and he hurriedly informed her, “I had no idea that you –”

“ _Fitz_ ,” she cut him off quickly, chuckling as she shook her head and waved off his words. “It’s alright! There are plenty of fish in the sea, after all. There’s just no way that I could in good conscience ask out a guy that’s so obviously in love with someone else.”

He blinked a couple of times and considered denying it, but then he figured, what would it matter if Chelsea knew? There was no way it could get back to Jemma, and perhaps it’d be nice to talk about it with someone completely outside of the situation. So, with a heavy sigh, he told her, “Well, it doesn’t matter how I feel, because Jemma could never feel that way about me in return.”

Chelsea gave him a skeptical look. “Oh? Because I’m pretty sure a girl that isn’t interested in a guy doesn’t text him every couple of minutes to say…” She leaned in, carefully pulling his phone closer so that she could peer down at the screen. “ _Ah_. To say that she misses him.”

“It’s a complicated situation,” Fitz argued, tugging his phone back to shoot a glance down at the text Chelsea had been referring to. “It doesn’t mean what you think it does.”

When he lifted his gaze from his phone, it was to find her giving him a little, knowing smile. “Fitz, it’s probably not as complicated as you think.” She shrugged then, and went on, “I know I’m just an observer, and you don’t have to listen to me, but…I want you to pay closer attention. If you ever see even the slightest indication that Jemma may possibly feel the same…I want you to just take a chance and see; if it doesn’t work out, well, your friendship and parental relationship seems strong enough to survive. But if it does? Then you get to have everything; you get to have the whole family package with the woman you love and your gorgeous daughter.”

“Chelsea…”

“Take it from me, Fitz, _that_ ,” she gestured to his phone, still sitting on the bar between them, “is not a woman that only has platonic feelings for you. I mean, who can blame her?” She threw a teasing wink at him. “Look, maybe nothing will ever come of it, but it’s equally as possible that something _will_. You’re clearly miserable without each other, and that just doesn’t seem like anyway to live to me.”

Fitz still wasn’t sure – after all this time being convinced that Jemma could never feel the same way about him and attempting to get over her, it was more than a little difficult to imagine any other possibility. But, Chelsea had no reason to _lie_ , and she’d always been rather observant; the bits of advice she tended to give had never steered him wrong before. “I’ll…keep an eye out,” he finally agreed, not making any further promises.

“That’s all I ask,” she said, grinning as she raised her glass in a little toast before downing what was left.

He spent a little longer talking with Chelsea over a couple of drinks after that, then they said their goodnights before he headed back up to his hotel room for the night. Barely taking the time to kick off his shoes, he grabbed his laptop and sat back on the bed, opening Skype to call Jemma.

It only took a few, brief moments before she answered, appearing on his screen with a big, beaming smile. Fitz wasn’t sure if it was just because it’d been so long since he’d last seen her, but somehow she seemed even more beautiful than she had been that morning – if that was even possible. “Hey.”

“ _Hi_ ,” she greeted happily. “ _I thought your meeting got over earlier? Did it run long?_ ”

“Oh, no, I just got caught up at the bar talking with a friend,” Fitz explained, crossing his legs and getting comfortable against the pillows. “I kinda lost track of time because she was asking about Evie, and you know how I can go on and on without realizing it when it comes to her.”

“ _Yeah_ ,” Jemma agreed, seeming slightly distracted as she frowned. “ _So…who’s your friend, then? Have you mentioned her before?_ ”

Fitz’s brow furrowed in thought, but he was quick to shake his head. “No, I don’t think so. We only ever run into each other at these conferences. Her name’s Chelsea.”

“ _Ah_.” She was quiet a moment, then cleared her throat and asked, “ _Are you having fun?_ ”

He scoffed, giving her a dry look as he replied, “Oh yeah, don’t you know that engineering conferences are the kinds of parties that you just can’t miss?”

Jemma cracked a smile, letting out a quiet laugh as she rolled her eyes. “ _Alright, you’ve made your point. At least you only have a couple more days of it, then you’re home free._ ”

“Believe me, I know; I’m counting down the hours.” Frowning in concern, he asked, “Was Evie okay today? Did she notice I was gone, or…?”

“ _She noticed_ ,” Jemma confirmed, making a bit of a face as she nodded. “ _She was a little upset this morning, but as the day went on, she seemed fine. I put her down a little while ago, but she should be up in a bit if you’d like to see her_.”

“Of course I would,” he answered immediately. “And…how were you today? Was it okay taking care of things by yourself?”

She shrugged, lowering her eyes as she brushed a wayward strand of hair back behind her ear. “ _Things were fine for the most part. It just felt strangely…quiet, I suppose. But, Evelyn and I managed, as you can see_.”

“Well…good. And hey, thanks for sending me all those texts; it made it a bit easier being away to know what was going on back home.”

A wide grin spread across Jemma’s face, causing her to light up in a way that had Fitz’s breath catching in his throat, her eyes shining excitedly. “ _Oh good! That’s what I was hoping for! I knew that it was what I’d want if I was the one away._ ”

“Well, you were definitely right. If I can’t be there with you, then it’s the next best thing; sometimes, it even felt as though I’d never left.”

“ _Good. Though…I can’t say I felt the same,_ ” Jemma murmured glumly, and just then, Fitz caught the briefest flash of a _look_ in her eyes, one that he’d seen many times before, but had never had a name for. It was fondness and longing and something else, something… But, then it was gone, and instead she was telling him all about how she’d taken Evelyn for a walk and when they’d passed by a man walking his dog, Evelyn had shrieked in delight and now she thought that they might have to get a dog. “ _But maybe we’ll wait until Evelyn’s a bit older…a baby and a dog at the same time sounds like the equation for one messy flat_.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” Fitz replied distractedly, trying to figure out if he’d really seen what he thought he had, or if it was just Chelsea’s words getting to him and making him see things that weren’t there.

There were many times that he could _possibly_ interpret Jemma’s actions as something more than friendly, whether it be the way she looked at him, or the how her voice grew soft sometimes when she talked to him. But, there was no way for him to be sure that there weren’t other, less _romantic_ reasons for every single one of those things.

A part of him really wanted to believe that Chelsea had been right – after all, she was speaking from a female perspective – but another part of him was still so unsure, and the very last thing he wanted was to muck up his relationship with Jemma on just a hopeful whim (even though he had the feeling that Chelsea was correct in thinking that their parental relationship was strong enough to survive, he still wouldn’t risk it).

But…perhaps…he’d still keep an eye out, like she’d suggested. And if he never saw any indication of mutual feelings, then he’d never speak a word of it to Jemma, and they’d continue on as they were now.

However, if Fitz ever saw anything that he couldn’t write off or explain away…then, he promised himself that he was going to just take a chance and ask her out, because Chelsea had definitely been right about one thing: he could have _everything_ with Jemma – he could give _Evelyn_ everything that she deserved, and even just the slightest possibility of it was enough to harden his resolve.


	12. Part Eleven

“Can you believe it’ll be a year tomorrow?” Jemma asked, shaking her head in awe and glancing back over her shoulder briefly at Fitz as she pushed their shopping cart through their current aisle in the grocery store. “This time last year, I was just five months pregnant, and we had no idea whether we were having a son or a daughter.”

“Seems like a lifetime ago,” Fitz admitted, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck as he shrugged. “I mean, now it feels weird when she’s not with us.” Pointedly, he glanced down at the child seat in the cart, which was empty.

“Yes, I know, but it was the only way we were going to get anything productive done today.” Jemma paused then, coming to a stop in front of the diaper section. As she grabbed a couple of packs, something occurred to her, and she began chuckling to herself. Noticing Fitz’s curiously quirked brow, she explained, “Do you remember that this time last year, I didn’t even know your full _name_? God, I can’t believe we ever knew so little about each other. Now,” she added with a teasing grin, “I know everything, including about your monkey obsession and fear of clowns.” Pursing her lips, she said thoughtfully, “You must be so conflicted at circuses.”

Fitz rolled his eyes good-naturedly, reminding her with a smirk, “Yeah, well all I knew about you back then was that you _really_ loosen up when you’re smashed.” As Jemma threw a playful elbow into his ribs, he went on with a laugh, “And that you cry over ice cream.”

Gasping in mock-affront, she shot a little scowl at him as she replied firmly, “That was the _pregnancy hormones_ and you know that, Leopold Fitz.”

He simply threw a teasing grin at her, before lowering his gaze to check their nearly completed grocery list. A little frown tugged his lips down at the corners then. “Oh. We forgot to get Evie’s cereal; she’ll never forgive us if we come home without it.” Tucking the list back into his pocket, he thumbed over his shoulder and informed her, “I’m gonna go grab it quick.”

As he was leaving to retrieve the cereal, Jemma called after him, “I’ll be in the produce section.” He gave a wave of acknowledgement over his shoulder, and she turned to continue on her way down the aisle.

However, she didn’t get much further before she passed by an older woman, who smiled warmly at her and complimented, “I’m sorry, I just have to say that you’re such a beautiful couple. How long have you two been together?”

The words had Jemma stopping in her tracks, and she wasn’t quite sure what she found more shocking; the unexpected question, or her automatic response of ‘ _a year_ ’. Fighting down that utterly _strange_ reaction, she forced a polite smile and informed the woman, “Oh, we aren’t together – we’re just friends.” The woman’s eyebrow arched just slightly, and Jemma noticed her eyeing the diapers they’d just added to their cart. Flushing as she realized the woman must’ve overheard them talking about Evelyn, she admitted in a bit of a rush, “Okay, yes, we have a child together but…you know, one drunken night and all that. That’s all it is; two friends raising their baby. Perfectly normal, of course.”

With a bit of a disbelieving look, the woman replied, “Uh- _huh_ well, I apologize for the misconception, then.”

With a tight smile, Jemma nodded and picked up her pace a bit as she left the aisle and the bizarre encounter behind her. However, she just couldn’t seem to stop thinking about it; why had that woman assumed she and Fitz were _together_? Was it simply because they’d been talking about Evelyn?

But…that didn’t make any sense, now that she really thought about it; they’d been on opposite ends of the aisle, so there was no possible way that the woman could’ve overheard her conversation with Fitz. So why…?

By the time Fitz found her in the produce section, Jemma was more than a little consumed with thoughts about the brief conversation. She was aware of how distant she was being just then, was likely acting unexplainably strange, but fortunately, Fitz seemed to pick up on her mood shift and didn’t even say a word about it.

After they’d finished their shopping, they dropped their groceries off at Jemma’s flat, then headed over to Bobbi and Hunter’s, where they’d left Evelyn earlier that afternoon. Daisy had arrived there at some point, and it wasn’t long before Jemma ended up sitting with her and Bobbi out on the patio of their building’s little backyard while Fitz and Hunter played in the grass with Evelyn.

Since she still hadn’t been able to stop thinking about that woman at the grocery store, Jemma took the opportunity to talk it over with her two closest female friends. As she finished retelling the story, though she suddenly found the whole thing quite funny – her and _Fitz_? Why had she been so caught up in what one stranger thought? It was silly, really. She gave a little laugh, shaking her head as she concluded, “It’s just so absurd, isn’t it? Me and _Fitz_? We’re _obviously_ not together!”

However, much to her confusion, Daisy and Bobbi didn’t start laughing along with her. Instead, they shared a glance, then turned back to give her twin looks that clearly were meant to say, ‘are you kidding me?’. “Jemma…” Bobbi started gently, her brow furrowing. “Do you _really_ not know?”

Glancing back and forth between them, Jemma asked slowly, “What…what are you talking about?” She shook her head, admitting with a roll of her eyes, “I mean, yes, Fitz and I have a…complicated relationship, what with raising a child together and all, but other than that, we have a completely normal friendship.” Suddenly, a frown curved her lips, and she couldn’t help but add uncertainly, “Don’t we?”

Daisy released a heavy sigh, her shoulders slumping slightly as though there was something heavy weighing on them. “Okay, I’ve been holding back because I didn’t want to interfere and I’m worried about what could happen down the road, but you haven’t figured it out yet and…well, we can’t in good conscience let it go on any longer.”

Bewildered and more than a little anxious, Jemma repeated, “Daisy, what are you talking about?”

“Jem…you and Fitz are one hundred percent in love with each other, and I just…I don’t know how you haven’t realized it yet.” Daisy gave a little shake of her head, shrugging her shoulders helplessly.

Her eyebrows rising in disbelief, Jemma gave an immediate scoff to even just the _idea_ of her being in love with Fitz, though her tone was admittedly a bit weak as she replied, “Now that’s _ridiculous_.”

But, at that moment, she happened to glance out into the yard, where Fitz was holding Evelyn’s little hands in his and trying to help her start walking on her chubby, wobbly little legs. He was wearing the biggest, proudest grin on his face, and there was so much _affection_ and love for their child written in his expression and…and all of a sudden, it just _clicked._

She’d been so _blind_.

Gasping, Jemma felt her hands beginning to tremble where they were gripping the arms of her chair as she blinked back the tears beginning to burn along the rims of her eyes. _Of course_ she was in love with Fitz, how had she not put it all together before now?

The unexplainable, overwhelming feeling she always seemed to get around Fitz, the one she’d never seemed able to put a name to. The deep desire and need to have him around at all times – she’d never even thought to object to the fact that he’d practically moved in with her! It all just seemed so _natural_ , after all. And of course, there was how much it had _hurt_ to have him gone, even for only those few days to attend that conference back in February (and she couldn’t forget her seemingly unreasonable jealousy when he’d mentioned his friend Chelsea). She was in _love_ with him and nothing had ever made more sense.

Jemma wondered then just how _long_ she’d felt this way, and how she’d never seen it for what it was before – they’d kissed _twice_ now since Evelyn’s birth for Christ’s sake! But _oh_ , now she understood so clearly why she just hadn’t been interested in trying to date since meeting Fitz (truthfully, the thought had never even crossed her mind); it wasn’t simply because she was focusing on raising Evelyn, it was because she’d wanted _Fitz_ all along!

She’d never been the best with emotions, but Jemma couldn’t believe that she’d missed something that she felt _this_ strongly, something she’d felt for so _long_.

“Are you alright, hun?” Bobbi asked in concern, cutting into Jemma’s increasingly panicked realizations.

Slowly shaking her head and sniffling, Jemma whispered, “I can’t believe…all this _time_ …” Abruptly, she whirled around to face her friends, demanding to know, “Why didn’t you mention this _sooner_?” If only she’d known, she could have…she could have…

Well, she could’ve done _something_ other than walking around for the past year, completely oblivious to her own feelings.

Both Daisy and Bobbi shrugged in response, and it was Daisy that admitted, “We were afraid to get too involved with something that was clearly between you and Fitz. I mean, the situation is pretty…complicated, what with you guys having a baby together and all.”

“And,” Bobbi added, “we were kind of waiting for you to have the revelation yourself, but it just…never came.”

Giving an incredulous, watery little laugh, Jemma leant back in her chair and murmured, “I must’ve been so deep in denial about the whole thing that even _I_ didn’t realize what I was doing.” With another shake of her head, she watched then as Fitz lifted Evelyn up above him, laughing as she squealed in delight and kicked her little legs. As he brought her down to drop a tiny kiss on her nose and Jemma’s heart swelled with what she could now name as _love_ , she asked softly, “What am I supposed to do now?”

There was a beat, then Daisy replied sympathetically, “That’s not up to us, Jem.”

-

That night, Jemma led the way into her darkened flat, flipping on the lights and holding open the door for Fitz as he entered behind her, Evelyn fast asleep in his arms. Fortunately, she’d fallen asleep on the car ride home, saving them the trouble of getting her to go to sleep – for tonight, at least.

“I’m gonna go put her in her crib,” Fitz informed her in a hushed voice.

She nodded distractedly, taking a couple of steps to close the distance between them. Pointedly, she ignored her proximity to Fitz, instead focusing on Evelyn as she brushed her fingers through the soft, short curls on her head and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Goodnight, Evelyn. I love you.” Giving her another kiss, she then stepped back so that Fitz could head down the hall toward Evelyn’s nursery.

Jemma went into the kitchen then, intending to get a glass of water, but she never quite made it that far. Instead, she simply ended up pacing the length of the little kitchen, wringing her hands together because she had no idea what to do now, and it’d been plaguing her all evening. She was just so _conflicted_ – she now understood that she was in love with Fitz, and he was right _there_ , not to mention that they were alone for the first time all evening, presenting her with the perfect opportunity. And, truthfully, they were already like a little family, so would telling him about her feelings really change anything?

 _But_ , she was quick to remind herself, even though Daisy had claimed that she and Fitz were ‘in love with each other’, Jemma had no proof; it was nothing more than Daisy’s opinion in the end. What if she were to tell Fitz that she loved him, only to find that he only thought of her as a friend? It could ruin their friendship, and if there was one thing that she knew for sure, it was that she just couldn’t lose him and what they had.

Now that she knew, though, she just didn’t know how to _act_ around him; she’d always been a terrible liar, and she was terrified that she was simply going to blurt it out by accident.

“Jemma?”

At the quiet call of her name, Jemma quickly spun around to face Fitz. He was leaning up against the doorframe, frowning deeply in concern.

“You’ve been acting…odd since earlier, at the grocery store,” he admitted, “I didn’t want to intrude, but…I want to let you know that you can talk to me, Jemma. If you want to, that is.”

Jemma rather desperately wanted to talk to Fitz, actually. She wanted to tell him that she loved him, she wanted to kiss him breathless, she wanted for them to be a real family finally. But, there was a part of that also just simply wanted her best friend, wanted his advice on her current internal crisis.

But, she couldn’t do either, she realized then, because she was in one hell of a rock and a hard place situation; any move that she made in either direction could potentially affect Evelyn negatively, and she just…she couldn’t _do_ that to her, not for her own gain.

So, Jemma offered Fitz a weak smile, shaking her head. “I’m alright, Fitz. But, thank you anyway.” He nodded in understanding, though he still looked quite worried. “Goodnight,” she murmured, brushing by him to head toward her bedroom so that she could put a door between them before she reached out and grabbed onto him – she was afraid she’d never let go if she did.

At that moment, however, something of great importance occurred to her, and she needed to know the answer right away.

So, pausing halfway to her bedroom, she asked over her shoulder, unable to help the vulnerable quality of her voice, “Fitz…we’ll always be friends, won’t we? Whatever happens in the future, we’ll never lose what we have now, will we?”

Half-turning back, Jemma found Fitz facing her fully, looking incredibly concerned, and almost as though he was ready to close the distance between them and…comfort her or something. But, he ultimately stayed where he was, and assured her firmly, “I will _never_ let anything happen to our friendship, Jemma. You have to know that it’s one of the most important things in my life.”

Smiling in relief, Jemma gave a satisfied little nod as she replied, “Good. It’s…it’s one of the most important things in my life as well.”

It was then that she decided that she’d have to settle for having their incredible friendship – which wasn’t even really _settling_ at all, not really. After all, it had been more than enough for her this past year, and nothing had changed, not really (even though Jemma felt as though _everything_ had changed since just that morning).

“And…you’re sure that you don’t need to talk?” Fitz asked once more, his worry still very apparent in his tone. “If something’s bothering you…”

She managed a much more genuine smile then, giving another shake of her head as she told him, “I promise that I’m fine, Fitz. I’m just…tired, that’s all.”

He was quiet a moment, but then he agreed quietly, “Alright.” Taking that as her chance to put some distance between them (she was going to need some for a little while, after all, if she was going to figure out how to deal with her feelings without tipping Fitz off), she continued on her way to her bedroom. Though, a moment later, she heard Fitz call after her, “Goodnight, Jemma.”

“Goodnight, Fitz,” she repeated, throwing him one last smile before she stepped into her bedroom and closed the door behind her. Once Jemma was sure that she was finally alone, she released a heavy sigh, lightly dropping her forehead to rest against the door, and added in whisper, “I love you.”

She wanted to say it aloud, just this once.


	13. Part Twelve

_A year_.

Even though the months seemed to have flown right by, even though it still felt like just yesterday that Fitz had first held his beautiful little girl in his arms, it was true; Evelyn was turning a year old today.

It was hard to describe the mix of emotions he’d been feeling since he’d woken up that morning. He was excited, of course, on Evelyn’s behalf, but he was also feeling a tad…emotional. After all, his baby was already a year old – the next thing that he knew, she’d be going to school, then old enough to drive, then packing up and leaving for university. He felt as though he was going to blink, and then she’d be going off to live her life, leaving him behind.

“Alright?”

Hastily blinking back the slight wetness in his eyes at the thought, Fitz turned from where he’d been tying balloons to the backs of chairs in Jemma’s little living room, her couch moved to the side to make room for the small group of party guests that would be arriving later that day. Jemma was standing in the doorway, a knowing arch to her eyebrows. “Yeah, m’fine.”

She smiled warmly, taking a couple of his last few balloons to help him, and as she began securing them to the chairs, she told him, “It’s okay to be emotional, you know.” With a wry smirk, she added, “I’ve had to stop myself from bursting into tears several times already today; I can only imagine how I’ll feel when Evelyn’s actually _awake_.”

“Well, at least I know that you won’t tease me about it if I shed a few tears at some point today, then.”

“Now when did I ever promise to do that?” Jemma threw a playful little wink at him, picking up a couple of rolls of streamers that had been left on her coffee table. “Help me with these?” she asked, holding up one of the rolls hopefully.

“Of course.” He caught the roll as she tossed it lightly to him, and watched as she then began wrapping the delicate paper around Evelyn’s high chair.

Idly playing with the edge of the streamer roll, Fitz became lost in thought then, mulling back over the past couple of months. Things had been…different lately. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but there were moments with Jemma where she’d act strangely, moments where she’d blush when their gazes locked for too long, or she’d put a bit of distance between them when they were sitting too closely on the couch.

Briefly, he’d entertained the horrifying thought that she’d found out about his feelings and was doing her best to redefine the boundaries of their friendship, to subtly remind him that they were just friends who happened to have a child together. But, she didn’t ever seem _uncomfortable_ , just slightly…awkward.

Of course, Hunter was always right there in his ear harassing him about when he was going to make the move he’d been talking about making since back in February, after his talk with Chelsea at the conference. As he was quick to remind Hunter each time, though, he had to be sure that he was reading the situation right first, he had to _know_ that he wouldn’t be making a mistake in making said move.

However, looking at Jemma just then, feeling the now familiar rush of affection that he always got when he laid eyes on her, remembering the sight of this wonderful, amazing woman bringing their child into the world on this day last year, Fitz came to an abrupt decision.

It had been a year, and enough was enough.

Chelsea had been right, of course – their friendship was strong enough to survive, and he needed to stop being so afraid of what _could_ happen in the worst case scenario, and instead start considering what could have been right in front of him this whole time.

So, Fitz took a deep, steadying breath and set aside his roll of streamers, taking a couple of steps closer as he asked, “Jemma?”

“Hmm?” she hummed inquisitively, still focused on decorating Evelyn’s highchair, now crouching in front of it to wrap the streamers around the legs.

“Do…do you remember what I said a couple of months ago, about us always being friends?”

Jemma paused in her work, lifting her head to give him a clearly concerned look. “I do.”

Stuffing his trembling hands into his pockets, Fitz cleared his throat and went on, “I still believe that; I _always_ want us to be friends, no matter what. But, there’s something…something that I need to be honest about.”

She set down her roll of streamers, rising to her feet so that she could turn to face him completely, focusing her full attention on him as she questioned worriedly, “What is it, Fitz?”

Heart racing with anticipation, Fitz thought to himself that this was it; this was the _moment_ that he was finally going to just be honest with her and put it all out there. He opened his mouth to do just that –

But at that exact moment, a sharp cry echoed through the little flat, clearly issuing from Evelyn’s nursery. They both started at the unexpected sound, and then Jemma seemed to hesitate, before she gave him an apologetic look and hurried off down the hall to attend to Evelyn.

Unable to believe his rotten luck, Fitz released a low groan, dragging a weary hand down his face. _Of course_. He should’ve known, really, that it wasn’t going to be that easy.

By the time Jemma returned with a still-sleepy Evelyn, Fitz had started in with the rest of the streamers, standing carefully a chair to hang them along the ceiling. When he saw Evelyn, however, he abandoned the decorating temporarily to take her from Jemma, cradling her close as she settled in against his chest, dropping her little head to rest on his shoulder.

“There’s the birthday girl,” he said warmly, dropping a kiss on top of her head. “Happy Birthday Evie!”

“Fitz?” Jemma prompted quietly, causing him to glance up from Evelyn to meet her eyes. “What was it that you were saying before?”

“Ah, right.” Fitz felt his heartbeat picking up speed once more, each breath coming with a bit more difficulty as Jemma waited patiently for whatever it was that he had to say. “I said that I needed to tell you something, that I –”

A series of impatient knocks sounded from the front door, abruptly cutting off the rest of his sentence. Jemma shot a look of disbelief in the direction of the door, but when another sequence of increasingly eager knocks rang through the flat, she sighed and rolled her eyes, moving to get the door.

“What in the…?” Fitz shook his head in complete incredulity. “You better hope that you have better luck in love than your daddy, Evie,” he murmured, giving Evelyn a little bounce in his arms. Then, however, he thought about it and quickly corrected himself, “Or…maybe I should hope that you _don’t_.” Glancing down at her to find wide blue eyes gazing back up him in the little face that he loved so much, he nodded decisively and told her apologetically, “Sorry sweetheart, but Daddy’s hoping.”

“Alright, where’s the birthday girl at?”

At the sound of Daisy’s voice, Fitz glanced up to find her entering the living room, laden with presents and a package of store-bought cupcakes. She beamed as she laid eyes on Evelyn, unceremoniously dropping the presents to the floor at her feet and handing the cupcakes to Jemma before she rushed forward to extract Evelyn from Fitz’s arms.

“ _Aww_ , you’re getting so big, Evie! Just look at you!” She hugged Evelyn close and kissed her forehead, then turned to Jemma with a wide grin. “You know, I still remember the day you showed up on my doorstep, all in a panic and carrying bags filled with pregnancy tests.” She shook her head in awed disbelief. “And now you’re _here_ , with your daughter turning a year old and living with the one night stand that you were too embarrassed to even have _dinner_ with.”

“We’re not – it’s not –” Jemma rushed to try and correct Daisy’s mistake, her cheeks growing steadily pinker as she held up her free hand to stop that train of thought.

“I don’t…um…I don’t live here,” Fitz explained for her, reaching up to rub a hand over the back of his neck, where his own skin was warmed with a rather intense blush. It was something that even _he_ tended to forget sometimes – he hadn’t slept in his own flat for just over a year, but he still paid rent and held onto it because…well, because he didn’t _live_ at Jemma’s flat. Not officially, at least, not in a way they’d ever talked about.

Then, something else about Daisy’s words stuck out to him, and he frowned, turning to face a still-flustered Jemma.

“Wait…is that why you never went to Bobbi and Hunter’s for dinner after their honeymoon? Because you were _embarrassed_? Bobbi said that you…you were sick.” He couldn’t _believe_ it – after all this time, why hadn’t Jemma ever mentioned that? Sure, he’d been embarrassed too, but…

But, he could still remember how he’d felt that night, how nervous and excited he’d been to see Jemma again. He remembered the speech he’d practiced for days in the mirror, the one where he’d apologize for what had happened between them, and would then ask if they could give it another try, the _right_ way this time. When she hadn’t shown up and Bobbi had then explained that she was sick, he’d been so _disappointed_ , but had taken it as a sign that things wouldn’t have worked out between them anyway.

Now, to find that it had been Jemma deliberately avoiding him… If she had gone, if she’d agreed to go out with him…when she’d found out that she was pregnant, they could’ve already been together. Things could’ve been so _different_.

Instead, they’d done everything backwards, his brief feelings for Jemma put off in favor of being supportive during her pregnancy, then he’d befriended her, before _finally_ realizing that he was in love with her, and only now, a year later, was he attempting to make a move toward something more romantic between them.

“Well…yes,” Jemma admitted, looking slightly ashamed as she turned to set Daisy’s cupcakes on the kitchen counter and moved the handful of presents over to the designated table. “A one night stand is something that I don’t…normally do, _ever_ , and I just…wanted to forget about it.” A little smile curved her lips and she rolled her eyes at herself as she added, “But, life had different plans for me, and I’m quite glad for that.” She closed the space between them, grasping his hand in hers and giving it a quick squeeze. “I’m so _happy_ it worked out this way, Fitz, because I can’t…I can’t remember what my life was like before you were it, and I can’t even remember what it was like, being too embarrassed to see you. I’m sorry for ever avoiding you, truly.”

Gazing into her hopeful eyes, Fitz felt a small smile tugging at his lips, any remaining hurt over the incident fading away as he returned the squeeze. “You have nothing to be sorry for. All that matters is that we’re here now, right?”

Her smile became a full-blown, beaming grin as she nodded in agreement. “Right.”

“And I think finishing setting up for the party matters just a bit too,” Daisy cut in suddenly, reminding Fitz that she was even in the room with them.

Clearing his throat, Fitz hastily took his hand back and stepped away from Jemma. “Yes of course, you’re right.”

-

It hadn’t taken too much longer to finish with the decorating, especially as Bobbi and Hunter had showed up not long after Daisy and lent them a pair of hands. Evelyn had gone down for a nap at some point during their preparations, and woken once more not long after the rest of their guests had arrived. Of course, Evelyn was the talk of the party, what with her adorable little pink party dress (and with her just being adorable all around).

Things were going rather smoothly, fortunately, and as Jemma slipped away into the kitchen to prepare Evelyn’s cake, Fitz followed, hoping to take advantage of the distracted party-goers watching Evelyn showing off her brand-new (and still developing) walking skills.

“Need a hand?” he asked as Jemma opened the refrigerator to take the miniature cake made just for Evelyn out and set it on the counter.

“Oh, yes, can you grab the candle and the lighter?” Jemma asked, nodding in the direction of the correct cupboard as she removed the plastic covering over the cake.

Fitz crossed the kitchen to open the cupboard, finding the ‘1’ candle Jemma had picked out and the lighter she’d requested. As he handed them to her, he lightly cleared his throat and started unsurely, “Jemma, I…I just wanted to…”

“Yes?” She glanced up at him curiously, even as she lit the candle and carefully picked up the cake to take it out into the living room.

Glancing from the flickering candle to Jemma’s creased brow, Fitz sighed and shook his head, figuring that now was definitely not the time. “Never mind.”

She frowned, but nodded in understanding, cupping a hand around the flame with one hand as she carefully carried the cake out of the kitchen. As the familiar sound of the birthday song filled the flat, Fitz picked a wide-eyed Evelyn up and sat her in her highchair. Once the song had finished, Jemma set the cake on the tray in front of Evelyn, who simply stared at it in wonder.

“You’ve got to blow out your candle, Evie,” Fitz told her, squatting down beside her highchair and demonstrating for her what to do. She imitated his face, puffing up her cheeks and causing a round of laughter, but he couldn’t her to actually _blow_ , so he ended up blowing out the candle for her.

Evelyn was _fascinated_ by the cake, and at first she was more interested in simply squashing it beneath her little hands and making a nice big mess. However, she eventually lifted one of her hands to her mouth to investigate further, and found just how tasty cake was, a big smile appearing on her face.

“S’all downhill from here,” Fitz told Jemma teasingly as Evelyn stuck her hand fully into her mouth to clean it of the cake and frosting. “She’s discovered sugar.”

“I always knew this day was coming, ever since that first ice cream sundae craving,” Jemma admitted mock-sadly, a smile she couldn’t quite seem to hide tugging at her lips as she set out the second, larger cake for the party guests.

After they’d all had their fill of cake, Jemma sat with Evelyn on the floor and opened her presents, though Evelyn was far more interested in playing with the discarded wrapping paper than any of the toys she’d been given, much to Jemma’s amused exasperation. Guests slowly started to trickle out once all the presents had been opened, until Bobbi, Hunter, and Daisy were the only ones left, staying to help Fitz and Jemma with the cleanup.

Eventually, they headed out as well, and Fitz carried an already half-asleep Evelyn to her room. By the time he’d gone through the motions of getting her ready for bed, she was fully asleep, and he set her gently down in her crib. “Happy Birthday, Evie,” he whispered once more, reaching down to lightly stroke his fingers over the back of one of her hands. “I love you.”

Stepping away from the crib, he turned off the lights and quietly shut the door behind him. When he entered back into the living room, he collapsed onto the couch, where Jemma was already all-but sprawled out in exhaustion. “I can’t believe we have a one-year-old daughter,” she said after a beat of tired silence.

“Neither can I,” Fitz admitted as he turned to look at her, his lips quirking up in a smile as warmth and affection filled him. “It’s been the best year of my life.”

Jemma dropped her head to the side then to meet his gaze, her warm smile lighting up her eyes. “Me too,” she agreed softly.

He inhaled a shaky breath then as it occurred to him that they were alone, Evelyn was asleep, and the party was over – there shouldn’t be any more interruptions. With that in mind, he worked back up the courage that had been knocked down so many times already that day, and started nervously, “There’s…there’s something I’ve wanted to say all day.”

She turned her body fully to face him then, hip pressed into the cushions and cheek resting on the back of the couch. “I know, I’m sorry you kept getting interrupted – what is it?”

Briefly, Fitz dropped his gaze to the empty space between them. “I don’t want things to change, so…so you’re completely allowed to ignore my question if the answer is no, but…dinner?” Wincing, he slowly lifted his eyes back to hers, his heart momentarily freezing in his chest when he found her frowning.

Her gaze darted to a nearby clock, then she said a bit unsurely, “It’s a bit late for dinner, and well…you did have a lot of cake, but if you’re hungry, I’m sure it’d be fine.”

Unable to believe his own inability to just get his point across, Fitz subtly rolled his eyes at himself before trying again. “No, no, I meant…me and you, maybe we could eat somewhere else. Y’know…somewhere nice.”

He knew she’d gotten this time, her eyebrows arching and her eyes growing wide as she hastily sat up straighter. In a hushed voice, she asked, “Like…like a _date_?”

Not quite able to read whether her reaction was a good one or a bad one, Fitz rushed to repeat, “You can ignore it and we can just go on like we have been if the answer’s no.”

All-but cutting him off, Jemma hastily assured him, “No! I mean, well, yes of course, I’d love that.”

Releasing a relieved, almost disbelieving breath, Fitz sagged back against the cushions and asked, just to be sure, “Yeah?” After all the time he’d been waiting for this moment, it was a little hard for him to believe she’d actually said _yes_.

But, Jemma nodded a bit shyly in response, an adorable little blush spreading across her cheeks.

Giving an absent nod of his own, he felt a ridiculously wide grin curving his lips as he said, “Okay…okay, good. Dinner it is, then. How about…um…tomorrow night?”

“Tomorrow night sounds wonderful,” she replied as she bit her bottom lip, as though to try and hold back on the smile slowly making its way across her face. “And I promise I’ll actually show up to this one.”

“That’s always good, yeah.” Fitz chuckled at her little joke, letting out another quiet breath of relief before he teased with a little smirk, “Where should I pick you up, then?”

Jemma let out a peal of laughter, reaching out to give him a playful shove. “Ugh, _Fitz_!” She rolled her eyes at him, though her hand lingered on his shoulder for a moment afterward, and he could feel the heat of her skin through his shirt. Unfortunately, it wasn’t much longer before she removed it, standing up from the couch as she said, “Well, then I’ll see you tomorrow.” Shooting an almost… _flirty_ smile in his direction, she began to head for her bedroom. But, it was a mere moment later that he heard a quiet call of, “Fitz?”

Twisting around on the couch, he found that Jemma had paused just outside the hall that led to her bedroom. “Yeah?”

“Thank you,” she said simply, though there was nothing simple about the amount of emotion infused in the two words, her eyes filled to the brim with it.

Frowning, Fitz pulled himself up to sit straighter, and asked curiously, “What for?”

Jemma gave a little shrug as she explained, “For today, for the past year, and…for tomorrow.”

He felt his cheeks heating with a blush as he told her, “You can’t thank me for something that hasn’t happened yet – what if I screw everything up? Wouldn’t put it past me, after all.”

But, Jemma just smiled and gave a small shake of her head. “I’m confident that you’ll get it right. Goodnight, Fitz.” And with that, she turned on her heel and disappeared down the hall.

Dropping back against the cushions once more, Fitz stared blankly up at the ceiling, wondering if that had all really just happened. The longer that he sat there, thinking back over it, a grin continued to grow and grow on his lips until it was so wide, it was hurting his cheeks.

He was going to have to do everything he possibly could to make sure tomorrow was _perfect_ ; his future was hinging on it.


	14. Part Thirteen

“I still just can’t believe it.”

Jemma indulged in a little roll of her eyes at Daisy’s exaggeratedly-shocked tone, hidden as she was rifling through her closet for something to wear on her date with Fitz that night. Once Bobbi and Daisy had found out about the event (Jemma suspected that Fitz had let it slip to Hunter, who in turn had spilled the beans to Bobbi, who then passed the information along to Daisy, but she didn’t have any solid proof), the two had showed up at her doorstep and barged into her flat, demanding details.

Fortunately, Fitz had left earlier that day to head back to his own flat in order to find some nicer clothes to wear and get ready as well, so he hadn’t accidentally overheard any of Daisy’s loud and embarrassing comments and questions.

“I mean, I never thought Fitz would work up the courage – I was so sure that it would have to be you who made a move for anything to happen, Jem, and you’ve been insisting for months now that nothing _could_ happen between you guys,” Daisy continued, gesturing widely with her hands as she went on, her eyes rounded with continued shock.

Leaning further out of her closet to make their conversation easier, Jemma reminded her, “I still have to be careful, you know, even though I’m sure now that Fitz feels something for me in return. And, besides, I still can’t be guaranteed that it’s the same as how I feel for him.” Ignoring the eye-roll Daisy gave and the low scoff that issued from Bobbi, she continued, “We have to take things slowly and cautiously, because well…we aren’t just two people going on a date – we’re Evelyn’s parents first.” She nodded then to where Evelyn was happily perched on Bobbi’s lap, playing with a set of plastic tools that Fitz had delightedly purchased for her recently.

“You’re right, you do have to be careful,” Bobbi agreed softly, though her eyebrow was arched in the way that Jemma knew she was being analyzed and was about to receive some form of advice. “But, I also don’t think that you should be _too_ cautious that you accidentally mess things up with Fitz, or don’t take any chances, because I think that you two could really make each other happy.”

Flushing just a bit, Jemma nodded, silently agreeing with Bobbi on that as she promised aloud, “Well, I’ll do my best.” Just then, she couldn’t quite hold back on her excited little shimmy as she admitted, “I just can’t believe that we’re actually _here_ , that I’m preparing for a date with _Fitz_. I’ve been so afraid that…that I’d just spend the rest of my days being hopelessly in love with him from afar.”

Daisy let out an inelegant snort at that. “Jem, with the current situation you and Fitz have got going on, someone was bound to break eventually.” Leveling a knowing look and a smirk at Jemma, she added, “With how thirsty you can be, I’m sorry to say Jemma, it probably would’ve been you.”

Scoffing and ducking back into her closet to hide her blush, Jemma called over her shoulder, “I’m not _thirsty_ – I’m a mother, and I’ve got bigger priorities than getting Fitz into bed, thank you.”

“Getting Fitz into bed is the _reason_ you’re a mother,” Bobbi reminded her helpfully, but Jemma pointedly chose to ignore it.

Despite herself, however, she couldn’t help replaying a few choice memories from that night almost two years ago, and an eager little shiver traveled up her spine as she imagined that soon she might be experiencing a repeat of that night, perhaps _many_ times, all without the haze of alcohol. Even though she’d never admit it out loud (and especially not to her nosy, gossiping friends), she really was looking forward to the possibilities.

Stepping back out of her closet, Jemma held up a clothes hanger in each hand, dresses hanging on either one, and asked, “Opinions?”

Almost immediately, Daisy’s eyes grew wide, and through her brilliant grin, she collapsed into a coughing fit that had even Evelyn glancing up. Pointing exaggeratedly toward the dress in Jemma’s right hand, she managed to cry out through the coughs, “It’s the _boob dress_! Jemma Simmons, you totally want to get _laid_!”

Feeling her cheeks begin to burn, Jemma snapped defensively, “That’s not my plan at all! You know, not everything is about sex, Daisy.” Throwing a look at the dress in question, which did show a bit more cleavage than any of her other dresses and _had_ gotten her some very good results in the past, Jemma shook her head before hanging it back up in her closet. Left with the other, more conservative dress, she told Daisy pointedly, “See?” as she laid it on the bed (out of Evelyn’s sticky-fingered reach). “I have no ulterior motives for tonight; I plan to go on a nice, romantic date out to dinner with Fitz, and _then_ we’ll see where things go. Besides, you know I don’t put out on the first date.”

With a little chuckle and an arched eyebrow, Bobbi pointed out, “Well, you _did_ put out two years before Fitz ever even _asked_ you on a date.”

Huffing and crossing her arms over her chest, Jemma replied simply, “Semantics.”

Then, with Daisy and Bobbi keeping an eye on Evelyn for her, Jemma got ready for the date, curling her hair and doing her makeup before finally putting the dress on. She was just perching on the end of her bed to slip her heels on when her phone began to ring somewhere behind her.

Startled by the sudden sound, she glanced over her shoulder and found Daisy just picking up the nearby phone to read the screen. “It’s Charlotte,” she informed her.

Pleasantly surprised, Jemma took the offered phone from her and answered the call, lifting it to her ear as she said without a greeting, “Char, you’ll never believe what I’m doing tonight.” After all, Charlotte had been just as sure as anyone else that there was something going on between her and Fitz; she figured she’d let her sister get her inevitable ‘I told you so’s in sooner rather than later.

However, Charlotte then replied softly, “ _Jem…_ ” and there was a catch in her voice that had Jemma’s heart sinking into her stomach as though it was made of concrete.

All in all, it was a short conversation and it wasn’t long before Jemma was hanging up the phone in a daze. Before Daisy and Bobbi could even ask her what had happened, Jemma was up and across the room, digging out her suitcase and mindlessly dropping clothes and other essentials into it. To herself, she muttered under her breath everything that she had to get done as soon as possible, “Get a plane ticket, pack up Evelyn’s things, call the lab…” She wasn’t even listening as her friends gently tried to prompt her.

She didn’t hear the doorbell ring, didn’t notice as Daisy got up to answer the door, or as she returned to Jemma’s bedroom with Fitz. It wasn’t until Fitz whispered, “Jemma…you look…” that she finally glanced up to reveal the tears causing her carefully applied makeup to run down her cheeks.

His easy, adoring smile fell in an instant and he stepped toward her, holding out his hands helplessly as though he wanted to offer her aid or just some comfort, but didn’t know how. Just then, she couldn’t help but notice through the fog in her brain that he was wearing a dark blue button-up shirt that brought out his eyes and a _tie_ for Christ’s sake, and if everything wasn’t so abruptly wrong she’d no doubt have been giggling and blushing like a school girl.

“Jemma,” he said softly, concern clear in both his tone and his furrowed brow, “what’s wrong? What do you need from me?”

Jemma just barely caught a glance of her friends slipping out of the room then with a sleepy Evelyn in tow, her little cheek resting against Bobbi’s shoulder. Her focus quickly returned to Fitz as she told him a bit brokenly, a bit desperately, “I – I need to…I have to go home, Fitz. I need to… _oh_ , I have so much to do…”

“Why?” Fitz asked, his tone still remarkably gentle and understanding, even though he couldn’t possibly understand, since she’d yet to even tell him what was wrong. “What’s happened? Is everything alright?”

She shook her head in response, sucking in a ragged breath before she explained, “Charlotte called, and…my dad, he…he’s in the hospital, Fitz. She said that he had an awful heart attack and…” She paused then, giving a slightly unhinged, watery laugh before going on, “You know, we were always telling him to slow down, to ease off of his workload a bit and just take some time to de-stress, but…he never listened, did he?”

As soon as she’d finished, Fitz asked seriously, “What do you need to do now?”

Releasing an almost unconscious sigh of relief that Fitz had automatically understood and was ready to help her (as if there’d been any doubt in her mind that he would), Jemma repeated the items on her mental list, “Get a plane ticket, pack up Evelyn’s things, call the lab, and finish with my packing.”

“Okay.” Fitz nodded, then told her, “I’ll get Evelyn packed up and buy our tickets.”

At first, Jemma didn’t even notice his use of the word ‘our’, but when she did, a frown tugged her lips down at the corners and she shook her head. “Fitz…you can’t just…you have to go to work and you can’t just drop everything for me.”

Fitz stepped closer to her, reaching out to gently grasp her upper arms in his hands as he argued softly, “Of course I can. Jemma, if you need me, then I’m here. _Always_.” He was quiet for a moment, then, as he gazed into her eyes, he asked, “Do you need me, Jemma?”

At his words, Jemma wanted to start crying even harder, felt a sob building in the back of her throat because _god_ did she ever need him – he was all that she could _ever_ need, and she truly didn’t know how she was supposed to get through this without him. But, she also knew that she really couldn’t ask him to drop everything and fly to Sheffield with her, no matter what he said; she didn’t even know how long she’d be gone, after all.

So, Jemma cleared her throat and did her level best to keep her voice from shaking as she told him, “Fitz…you should stay here, get everything sorted, and…if I’m still in England in a couple of days, then I won’t stop you from coming to join me.”

It was one of the hardest things she’d ever had to do (all she wanted was to curl up in his arms and cry into his shoulder and let him hold her together), but she knew that she couldn’t be selfish when it came to Fitz’s life, so she did it anyway.

He seemed to hesitate for another moment, then he released a sigh and nodded. “Alright,” he agreed lowly as he lifted a hand to thumb away some of the tears still rolling down her cheek.

“I’m sorry for ruining our date,” Jemma started to apologize, but Fitz was quick to cut her off.

“Don’t,” he said firmly, shaking his head. “This isn’t your fault, Jemma, okay? I don’t blame you in the least, and I’ll still be here whenever you’re ready; nothing’s been ruined.”

Jemma felt the sudden and desperate urge to kiss him then (he was so _close_ , all it would take was half a step, her heels putting her at the exact right height to lean across the small distance and slot her lips against his), but if she were to kiss him now, she was fully aware that she might never have been able to stop. With that thought firmly in mind, she forced herself to step away so that she could continue her packing instead; the sooner she finished, the sooner she could get to her father’s side.

However, she stopped after only a couple of steps and turned back slightly to meet Fitz’s eyes as she murmured, “Thank you, Fitz.” She wanted to add that she didn’t know what she’d do without him, but she had the feeling that he already knew that well, so she simply offered him a wobbly smile and hoped that he understood just how much she loved him and appreciated his presence in her life.

Fitz’s answering smile was full of warmth and affection and comfort, and Jemma’s heart surged in her chest, no longer feeling still and frozen as it had since she’d gotten the news from Charlotte. “Always,” he promised, then he left the room to go get Evelyn’s things ready.

As Jemma stepped back into her closet to continue grabbing some clothes to take for the trip, her gaze fell on the “boob dress”, as Daisy had called it, and she paused. She stared at it for a handful of moments, then pulled it down and removed it from its hanger, shoving it into her suitcase before she could think twice.

Of course, her first priority was her father and her family just now, but she had to find something to help her believe that things would turn out alright, that her father would be okay, even the smallest, most ridiculous thing. At that moment, all she could seem to think was that if everything did turn out to be alright, then she and Fitz could make up for tonight. It would give her hope, at least.

Once she’d finished packing, she (rather reluctantly) changed from her dress and heels into a much more casual outfit of jeans, a jumper, and trainers, then cleaned away what was left of her makeup. Before she left her bedroom, she took a moment to leave a message for her supervisor at the lab, explaining the situation and telling her to call if she had any questions.

Upon exiting her bedroom with her suitcase in tow, Jemma found that Bobbi and Daisy had left at some point, and Fitz glanced up from where he was waiting on the couch, Evelyn asleep against his shoulder and her packed little suitcase resting by his feet. “All set?” he asked, nodding to her own suitcase as she placed it down beside Evelyn’s.

“Yes, I think so,” Jemma answered, running a hand through her hair before she gathered it all together and tied it into a ponytail. “When did Daisy and Bobbi leave?”

“Not long after I arrived,” Fitz replied, “But I explained the situation and they said to tell you that they’re just a phone call away if you need to talk.” A little smile curving his lips, he added, “And so am I, for the record, any time of day or night.”

His words managed to pull her lips up into a tiny smile of her own, and she nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Oh.” He shifted Evelyn carefully so that he could tug his phone out of the pocket of his slacks, and told her, “I’ve already done some searching for tickets, and there’s a plane that leaves later tonight.”

Breathing a quiet sigh of relief that he’d helped to check off another item on her frenzied to-do list, Jemma thanked him. Once she’d purchased the ticket, she was sure to text Charlotte, letting her know the details of the flight and when she should hopefully be arriving.

“I can drive you to the airport, if you’d like,” Fitz offered suddenly, and Jemma opened her mouth to tell him that he’d already done enough, but he was clearly anticipating her response as he went on, “I mean, you can’t carry both suitcases and Evelyn on your own.”

“Alright,” Jemma finally accepted, however grudgingly – she’d already been a bother enough to him tonight (though she would’ve never guessed it by looking at him, with his warm smiles and kind eyes and willingness to do whatever he could to make this whole situation easier for her).

When they arrived at the airport, Jemma checked in at the desk. Fitz insisted on waiting with her up until her flight was called, even though he could’ve just gone home and gone to sleep, even though he was still dressed up in his nice clothes, his tie now slightly askew.

Finally, the silence they’d fallen into was broken by the announcement of her flight, and Jemma rose from her seat as Fitz hurried to get up as well, and she cautiously extricated Evelyn from his arms, so as not to wake her. Before she could take a step away, Fitz gently caught her arm and murmured, “Hey, everything’s going to be alright.”

Giving him a weak smile and a nod, Jemma told him, “Thank you again, Fitz.” She wasn’t sure whether she was thanking him for everything he’d done for her tonight, or was simply thanking him just for existing, for being in her life.

“Of course,” Fitz replied, lightly squeezing her arm. “No matter what, I’ll see you in a couple of days, okay?” When she’d given another nod, he leaned forward to drop a kiss on Evelyn’s head, whispering, “I love you, Evie, and I’ll see you soon too.”

He moved to pull back from Jemma’s personal space then, but before he’d retreated completely, Jemma abruptly leaned in to brush a kiss just at the corner of his lips, giving into the temptation that had been haunting her for months now. She was already emotionally compromised tonight, and couldn’t be expected to completely hold back at a time like this (or at least, that was what she told herself).

Fitz froze immediately, and after a beat, he slowly leaned back just far enough to meet her eyes. There was a sudden heat, a longing in his gaze that had Jemma’s stomach twisting up in knots. She licked her lips unconsciously, and sucked in a sharp breath when Fitz’s eyes darted down to watch the action.

Jemma could feel herself swaying closer, her eyelids flickering as she started to close her eyes, her self-control all-but disappearing –

But, then the loud call of her flight being announced once more broke into the moment, and they both snapped out of it, taking hasty steps back from one another. Clearing his throat and glancing anywhere but at her, Fitz repeated, “I’ll see you in a couple of days, then.” He blinked, then cautiously brought his gaze back to meet hers, and added, “Don’t forget to call me when you land, okay? Even if it’s the middle of the bloody night here, I won’t care.”

“I will,” Jemma promised, her voice merely more than a whisper as she told him, “I’ll see you soon, Fitz.” Then, she forced herself to turn away from him and to go get on the plane because right now, despite her entire body aching more and more with every step she took away from Fitz, she knew that she needed to be in Sheffield, where her whole family was waiting on her.

Or, well, she would be with her whole family, if Fitz did end up joining them in a couple of days.

Jemma inhaled a deep breath, readjusted her grip on Evelyn, and double-checked that she had her boarding pass as she reminded herself sternly, _twenty-four hours without Fitz, I can do this_. She nodded decisively, but it was only a moment before she grimaced a bit and added, _or at least, I hope I can_.


	15. Part Fourteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Note: Even though this part feels like an ending, I promise that this is not the end; it’s just me wrapping up Fitz’s part of the story, since this is the last one from his POV. The final one, Part Fifteen, will be from Jemma’s.

Shifting to get a better grip on the handle of his suitcase, Fitz stepped back from the cab as it pulled away from the driveway of the Simmons household, then he began the rest of the trek up to the front door. When he rapped lightly on the door, it was a lengthy moment before it finally opened, revealing Jemma’s younger sister, Charlotte, wearing a weak smile.

“Oh, hey Fitz,” she greeted, her tone slightly subdued as she stepped back to allow him inside, dropping a brief glance to the watch on her wrist. “You’re…right on time.” She lifted her head to smile wryly, rolling her eyes at herself. “I wasn’t paying attention to the time.”

“That’s fine,” Fitz assured her as he set his suitcase just inside the entryway, making sure it was out of the way. “Where’s –”

He wasn’t able to get another word out before Charlotte cut in, obviously anticipating his question. “Jemma’s at the hospital with Mum and Luke; I’m here on kid-duty.”

Even though Fitz was slightly disappointed that it’d be even longer before he saw Jemma again after the two days they’d been apart, he brightened up as he asked hopefully, “Oh, Evie’s here then?”

Charlotte chuckled softly and nodded, leading him into the lounge, where Evelyn was playing with Grace on the floor, while Oliver was curled up on the couch with his eyes glued to the television. As soon as Fitz stepped into the room, Evelyn glanced up, and squealed in delight at the sight of him. She pushed herself unsteadily to her feet, holding her hands out anxiously to him, asking not-so-patiently to be picked up.

With a laugh, Fitz took the couple steps closer to scoop her up into his arms, murmuring, “Oh, you missed Daddy, didn’t you, sweetheart? Don’t worry, I’m here now.” Then, after he’d taken the proper amount of time to cover her giggling face with kisses, he leaned back a bit to ask her seriously, “Have you done your job and taken care of Mummy like I asked?”

Sensing the tone of his voice, Evelyn gazed up at him with big, solemn eyes. Even though he was quite sure that she didn’t understand the question, she nodded emphatically in response.

“That’s a good girl,” he praised, dropping another kiss on top of her head. “And I’ll, of course, be relieving you of your duties now that I’m here.”

Fitz heard a strange, stifled noise behind him then, and when he turned to find the source of it, his surprised gaze fell on Charlotte, who he’d forgotten was even in the room with them. She was pressing her lips together to hide her clear amusement, which didn’t do much good, given that her eyes were shining with it. “You know,” she started, arching a knowing eyebrow, “Jemma managed to find a spare moment to tell me that you two are going on a date.”

Flushing a bit, he nodded, shifting Evelyn onto one hip and reaching up to rub the back of his neck uncomfortably with his newly free hand. “Ah…yeah,” he replied simply, because well, this was Jemma’s _sister_ – anything he said on the matter could (and likely would) get back to Jemma herself in short order.

Charlotte gave him a little wink, much to his continued embarrassment, and admitted, “I’m glad that you guys finally figured it out, then.” However, her brow furrowed as soon as she’d finished speaking, and she corrected herself, “Or, rather, I’m glad that _Jem_ figured it out – you already knew, didn’t you? I saw how you looked at her, even back then.”

Fitz felt heat crawling up the length of his neck, and he simply shrugged, neither confirming nor denying it (though he got the feeling that Charlotte didn’t really _need_ him to).

Fortunately for him, her focus shifted then as she called to Oliver and Grace, “I’m going to go get some snacks,” and before she’d taken two steps in the direction of the kitchen, Oliver had jumped up off of the couch and rushed to join her.

“Can we have some of Grandma’s cookies?” he asked quickly, his voice echoing through the otherwise empty house.

Even as they moved further and further away from the lounge, Fitz could hear a laughing Charlotte say, “I already told you no, Oliver – but…” before her voice faded completely.

Feeling something tugging at the leg of his trousers then, Fitz glanced down to find little Grace, hair in lopsided pigtails and wearing a big grin with missing teeth as she greeted him happily, “Hi Uncle Fitz! Missed you!”

Immediately, a smile tugged at his lips as he felt his heart melting in his chest. The first time that Jemma’s niece had called him “Uncle Fitz”, he hadn’t had the first clue what to do or how to respond – he’d been terrified that it would upset Jemma in some way or, absurdly, would let her in on his inconvenient feelings. But, at the same time, it had also felt like a cruel tease; he’d wanted nothing more than to be with Jemma, to truly become each other’s family, and he never could’ve imagined that it would ever actually happen.

Now, he was closer than ever to having that, and despite the current situation that had brought him to Sheffield, he grinned down at Grace and replied, “I missed you too, Gracie. It’s so great to see you again.”

He felt Evelyn struggling against him to get down just then, and as soon as he had placed her back on the ground, she and Grace tugged him over to join them on the floor in front of the fireplace where they’d been playing. They occupied his attention for a while after that, drawing scribbled messes (or, _artwork_ , as Fitz liked to call it; he was definitely taking the masterpiece that Evelyn had done back home with him and framing it) with the crayons they’d spilled across the carpet.

Fitz didn’t even notice when he was no longer alone with the kids in the lounge (Charlotte had gone off a couple of minutes prior to start dinner – and by that, she’d meant “order some takeaway”), too caught up in conversing with Oliver and Grace about their newly started school years, until he heard someone say, “Well, if this isn’t a sight.”

Startled, he spun around and glanced up to find Jemma’s mother in the doorway, arms crossed and an amused grin curving her lips, one that Fitz noted looked awfully similar to Jemma’s. Then, he spotted Jemma herself lingering behind her mother, her expression somewhere between surprised and what he thought might be fondness.

But, then his attention was captured by the redness rimming her eyes, and he scrambled up, quickly calling over his shoulder to the children, “I’ll be back in a minute.” As Jemma’s mother moved to join them instead, Fitz gently grasped Jemma’s elbow and led her further out into the hall. In a low, concerned voice, he asked, “Are you okay? I…I thought you’d said that your dad was doing better.”

Jemma nodded quickly, assuring him, “He is, he’s doing much better and should hopefully be discharged within the next few days. But it’s just…it’s hard to see him this way, is all.” A bit haltingly, she attempted to explain, “He’s always been so…strong and supportive and there to help everyone else, and now…now we all have to be there to help _him_ and he’s so weak and fragile and…” She trailed off then, releasing a shuddering breath.

Fitz reached up to cup her cheek, gently thumbing away a stray tear as he reminded her softly, “But that’s just for now, Jem. I may not know the man that well, but I’m quite sure that he’s not the sort to simply take something like this lying down, and he’ll be right as rain in no time.” However, when Jemma simply gave him a small, forced smile, he suddenly understood that it have been her guilt of being all the way in another country when her father had needed her that was truly bothering her. “You know, besides, he’s got your mum, Charlotte, and Luke to all look after and help him every step of the way. Plus, you’re just a phone call away – and well, a pretty lengthy plane ride, but that’s not the point.”

The wobbly smile Jemma managed this time was a bit more genuine, to Fitz’s relief. “You think he’ll be alright, then?”

Smiling softly, Fitz nodded and dropped his hand to rest on her shoulder, giving it a quick, supportive squeeze as he replied, “I do, yeah.”

-

The next couple of days were spent getting the house ready for when Jemma’s father would return, paying him visits in the hospital to keep him company until that time, and Jemma lecturing her father on a proper diet and exercise routine post-heart attack. Finally, though, he was due to be discharged from the hospital, and when Jemma’s mother had mentioned over breakfast that it’d be easier to have all of the children out of the house as they got him settled, Fitz and Jemma had offered to take them out for a bit.

So, with Evelyn in tow, they headed out that afternoon to pick Oliver and Grace up from their school, taking them to a nearby park to play. It seemed a couple of other parents had had the same idea, as they were promptly ditched by the two kids as they went to play with some of their school friends instead.

“I wouldn’t take it too personally,” Jemma advised him with a laugh as she carefully seated an eager Evelyn into one of the toddler swings on the park’s swing set.

“But Gracie _loves_ me,” Fitz argued petulantly, making show of crossing his arms over his chest and pouting exaggeratedly, just to make Jemma let out another string of laughter. Ever since he’d arrived in England, he’d been doing his level best to keep her in a good mood and keep her mind off of any negative emotions that may be currently affecting her. If he did say so himself, he thought he’d been doing quite a good job of it.

“You know, I used to love coming to this park with Charlotte when we were little,” she said suddenly, giving Evelyn a couple of little pushes on the swing and causing a big grin to spread across their daughter’s face. “Of course, by that time, Luke was too much of a ‘big boy’ to want to be seen playing at the park with his little sisters, but Charlotte and I loved it.” After a moment, she gave a soft laugh and shook her head. “I never imagined that I’d be bringing my _own_ daughter here someday, though.”

Arching a curious brow, Fitz asked, “What, you never thought about having kids someday?”

Jemma pursed her lips thoughtfully, then shot Fitz a wry smile and shook her head. “Truthfully? No. It just never seemed to fit with the path I’d always planned on my life taking. Plus, I truly couldn’t believe that there was someone out there that I’d find interesting enough to settle down with long enough to want kids, let alone actually follow through on having them.”

Leaning back against the metal post of the swing set, Fitz tried to parse out what that was supposed to mean _now_ , and cleared his throat a bit awkwardly before he asked, “And when you found out about Evelyn…?” As unbelievable as it was, they’d never actually broached this topic of conversation before; by the time he’d really gotten a chance to talk to Jemma, she’d already been quite pregnant, and it had seemed pointless to wonder what she’d wanted _before_.

She turned her gaze briefly to their beaming daughter, her short curls ruffled by the breeze as Jemma pushed her swing. “At the very beginning, I…I was terrified. As I’m sure you know by now, I like to make plans and follow them meticulously.” At Fitz’s knowing scoff, she shot him a playful glare. “Having a baby was never one of my plans, let alone with a man I barely knew and thought that I’d never see again. The first few weeks were full of indecision and sleepless nights, wondering what to do. I considered all of my options seriously, but…something about it just felt…I don’t know, it felt right, I suppose; I’d never imagined myself with a baby, but suddenly, I couldn’t imagine my life if I _didn’t_ have this baby. I didn’t think that it’d ever be that perfect image of a family, I thought I’d be raising her on my own, but…I was okay with it.” She was quiet a moment, then she smiled lovingly down at Evelyn and finished with a murmur, “Now, I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Fitz spent a couple of moments soaking the information in, shifting a bit and crossing his arms over his chest as he asked unsurely, “And…what about now? Are you…are you okay with how things turned out?”

Jemma gave him an almost shy, but also startlingly warm, radiant smile as she confirmed quietly, “I’m more than okay with how things turned out, Fitz. Maybe nothing that’s happened in the past couple of years has been a part of my plans, but…” She gave a little shrug. “Perhaps I don’t _always_ have to follow them to a ‘T’. I’m quite happy with where life has led me just fine, plan or no.”

His heart beating a tad too quickly in his chest, Fitz tried to seem unaffected as he nodded. “Good. That’s good.” From the smirk Jemma tried but failed to hide in response, he was almost positive that he’d been nothing close to cool and unaffected.

It wasn’t long after their conversation by the swings that Grace and Oliver came rushing over, begging and pleading to go down the street to a little shop to get ice cream. Fitz and Jemma reasoned that the weather was surprisingly warm for nearly autumn, and they _did_ ask so nicely, so they led the excited pair down to get them a cone each with the promise not to tell their father that they’d spoiled their dinner.

After they’d finished their ice cream, Jemma had suggested to the kids that they show Fitz around, since he’d only visited Sheffield briefly and didn’t know the area well, and the two took the job seriously, yanking him around by the hands to introduce him to all their favorite spots. Quite often, he could hear Jemma behind him, attempting to stifle her laughter, and every time he glanced back to meet her eyes, they were always bright with mirth and happiness, and Fitz felt that he was certainly doing the job he’d come to England to do.

By the time their stomachs were growling for dinner, they ended up at a nearby fast food restaurant. It was noisy where they were seated in the dining area, quite a few other young parents there with their kids, and Grace and Oliver seemed to have made fast friends with the children at the next table over, chattering excitedly with them. Beside him at the cramped little table, Jemma offered Fitz a wry smile as she said over the din, “You know, this isn’t quite how I pictured our first date.”

Letting out a surprised laugh, Fitz waved a hand and hastened to assure her, “Oh, our first date will be much more romantic than this – not that a crowded, noisy fast food restaurant isn’t my definition of romance.”

She rolled her eyes playfully, then chewed her lip for a moment before asking suddenly, “Out of curiosity…what _did_ you have planned?”

Taken aback by the question, Fitz hesitated to answer at first; he’d intended on simply postponing his date plans until they’d returned home, and didn’t want to ruin the plans he’d made so carefully and thoughtfully. After a moment, he finally replied, “Wouldn’t you rather be surprised?’

Her smile turned sly and she inclined her head slightly in acknowledgment as she said, “That would be nice, but…I was actually kind of hoping that maybe we could try again tomorrow, while we’re here?” Her tone sped up then as she rushed to add, “I’ve already asked Charlotte, and she’s more than willing to stay at Mum and Dad’s tomorrow night to watch Evelyn for us, and well…hopefully this will make up for me having to cancel on you last time.”

Fitz wasn’t sure what to think at first, and the words that came out of his mouth immediately and automatically were yet another reassurance of, “You didn’t do anything wrong, Jemma, it wasn’t your fault.” He fell silent for a moment, then asked, “Are…are you sure this is what you want to do – if you want to stay with your dad and focus on him, I’m alright with that, okay? That’s why we’re here, after all, and you don’t owe me a thing.”

Laughing softly, Jemma said, “ _Fitz_ ,” to get his attention and pause his rambling, murmuring seriously, “I _want_ to. In fact, I was told by my father that if I was putting off anything _important_ that didn’t need to be put off just for him, he’d be quite upset with me.” She lowered her voice further, and he had to lean in slightly to hear her over the noise. “I think Charlotte may have spilled the beans about our date – she was always something of a tattletale as a child.”

Shooting a quick glance around, Fitz found that absolutely no one was paying them any mind, what with raucous kids driving their exhausted parents up the wall, and their own charges now having an animated conversation with their new friends about _Harry Potter_ , Evelyn delightedly munching on the cereal and fruit they’d brought along for. So, he reached out to lay his hand over Jemma’s on the table, and told her, “If this is really what you want, then I’d love to go out with you tomorrow – but, I’m still not telling you my plans; we’ll just use them for another date when we get back.”

Jemma arched a pleasantly surprised eyebrow as she teased him, “Oh, you’re already planning date number two?”

He felt a blush warming his cheeks, but managed to save face as he reminded her quickly, “Well, you were the one who was so sure I wasn’t going to screw up on the first one.”

She smiled warmly, letting out a quiet chuckle, and carefully turned her hand over beneath his to lace their fingers together loosely. “I still am,” she promised, leaning in to press a soft kiss to his cheek.

For a moment, all Fitz could think of was the half-kiss she’d given him at the airport days ago now, the one that he’d been driving himself crazy thinking about in the following days, going over and over the memory of how Jemma’s lips had felt against his the two times they’d kissed before (and…well, the duller, foggier memories from the night of Evelyn’s conception). He had to swallow back the urge to lean into her and finally find her lips with his to kiss her like he’d been dreaming of doing for far too long; after all, this was a family restaurant, and he didn’t think he needed to get the evil eye from any of the harried parents around them.

Instead, he just held her hand a bit more tightly, lacing their fingers a bit more securely, and watched as Jemma told Grace to finish her food, reprimanded Oliver for playing with his, and as she used her free hand to wipe Evelyn’s adorable chubby cheeks clean with a napkin. As she then tossed a tired smile at him, Fitz’s heart surged with pure love and affection.

At that moment, he could perfectly picture the future that could be ahead of him then, raising kids with Jemma (perhaps, someday, Evelyn would get the chance to be a big sister) and spending days with them together, taking them to the park and then out to dinner, sharing exhausted, loving smiles as they held hands to anchor each other in the chaos of everyday life.

Fitz knew that he was probably getting ahead of himself – they hadn’t even gone on their first date yet, nor did he have _verbal_ confirmation that the intensity of Jemma’s feelings were on the same level as his – but something just told him that it was all going to work out, that he and Jemma had been meant to cross paths that night months and months ago. He couldn’t help but feel so fortunate that he’d stumbled (rather drunkenly and blindly) right into his future, and that he’d been able to spend all of this time with Jemma, to have such an incredible, beautiful daughter with her and the possibility of a future together.

With absolute certainty, in much the same way Jemma had described earlier in knowing that having Evelyn in her life was just _right_ , Fitz just _knew_ that Jemma was the only person that he could ever imagine spending the rest of his life with; he was so looking forward to living through it all with her by his side.

He noticed Jemma giving him a curious look then as she asked, “What’re you thinking about?”

Abruptly, Fitz felt the urge to tell her that he loved her, in that exceedingly average, seemingly unremarkable moment. But, ultimately, he held his tongue and decided that there would be other moments just like this one, made perfect simply because they were together. So, instead, he just smiled and lifted their joined hands to kiss the back of hers, watching a pleased blush color her cheeks as he promised, “I’ll tell you some other time.”


	16. Part Fifteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, the fifteenth and final part of the 1 Night (+9 Months) series! I’m really sad to see this wrap up, even though it was time, and I’m still astounded that the little one shot I wrote thinking no one would be interested in became so popular and loved by so many people! Thank you so much to everyone who has liked, reblogged, commented, given kudos, subscribed, everything, you all are so fantastic and I love you all! 
> 
> Now, one last thing - THIS IS NOT THE END, though the main series is coming to an end, I am not done with this universe! I love it far too much for this to be the last time I write about it! That’s all I’m saying for now, but keep an eye on my blog for further information soon!

Nearly finished with the process of preparing for her second attempt at a first date with Fitz, all of Jemma’s focus was now on hoping fiercely that everything would go to plan this time. After everything that they’d been through, didn’t she and Fitz deserve a break, to have one thing go right?

She really, truly hoped so.

Just as she was smoothing the skirt of her dress and double-checking her lipstick in the mirror above the vanity in her childhood bedroom, there was a sharp _rap_ against the door. Excitement zipping through her, she took one last look in the mirror, nodded decisively, then went to open the door and let in…

Charlotte, toting Evelyn on her hip, entered the room as Jemma absently stepped back to allow her inside. She paused just barely inside the room, though, arching an eyebrow at her sister and whistling teasingly. “It’s a good thing Dad’s stuck on bed rest just now, because he’d probably lock you in your room if he saw you wearing _that_ dress.”

Even as she rolled her eyes, Jemma couldn’t help but shoot a worried look in the direction of her mirror. “Is it too much for a first date?” she asked Charlotte anxiously. “Am I giving the wrong impression? Because I’d had a different dress on last time, but Fitz already saw it and –”

Cutting her off there, Charlotte asked disbelievingly, “What do you possibly have to worry about, Jem?” She gave Evelyn a little bounce in her arms, causing her to let out a happy little squeal. “Fitz already knows what you look like naked, in case you’ve forgotten; a little extra cleavage won’t make a difference.”

Jemma threw a little look in her direction, and was about to say something along the lines of _not_ wanting to have this conversation with her baby sister, but was interrupted by another knock before she could. This one was soft and hesitant, and was followed shortly by the muffled sound of a throat clearing before Fitz called, “Jemma?”

Biting her lip to hold back her eager smile, she gave her sister a pointed look of warning. Once Charlotte had held up her free hand to indicate that she was going to be good, Jemma hurried across the room to open the door for Fitz.

He was dressed in much the same way that he had been the last time, slacks and a button-up shirt complete with a tie – but Jemma’s favorite part of Fitz’s appearance had to be way the way his eyes had almost immediately gone wide and his lips had parted to let out an audible breath. Slowly, his gaze scanned the length of her body (and she pretended not to notice the way they lingered a little too long on her chest), before he met her eyes and she saw him swallowing with a bit of difficulty. “Uh…wow, you look…um…” His mumble trailed off there as he blinked a couple of times, then managed to simply blurt out, “wow”, once more.

For a moment, they gazed at each other, sharing shy smiles, but they both jumped slightly at the sound of a snort of laughter from somewhere behind her. Turning in surprise, Jemma found Charlotte now sitting on the edge of her bed, but her sister hastily dropped her gaze to a curious Evelyn now perched on her lap to hide her guilt.

Obviously pretending to have just noticed their gazes on her, Charlotte waved at Fitz then, and promised them both, “I’ve got Evie for as long as you need me to.” Then, much to Jemma’s embarrassment, she winked and added, “Even all night, if I have to.”

Narrowing her eyes, Jemma replied pointedly, “Thank you, Charlotte, I’ll make sure to relieve you of your babysitting duties when we return home.” Once she was facing Fitz once more, her smile was firmly back in place as she asked, “Shall we?”

Fitz was quick to nod in agreement and, fortunately, they didn’t run into anymore of her family on their way out of the house (even more fortunately, Luke had taken Oliver and Grace home to their flat earlier that day, because she could only _imagine_ what her nosy older brother would have to say). When they’d left the house, Jemma led the way to Charlotte’s car, which her sister had so graciously offered to them for the night – along with watching Evelyn for them, it was the reason that Jemma wasn’t more upset about Charlotte’s little comments and teases.

Truly, Jemma knew that her sister just wanted to see her happy. If anything, how she’d been acting as of late was simply Charlotte getting her fill of embarrassing Jemma now, after all the years that Jemma had spent lovingly embarrassing _her_ in front of potential boyfriends.

Once they’d gotten in the car and were headed on their way, Fitz asked curiously, “So, what’s on the agenda for tonight, then?”

Chuckling lightly, Jemma replied playfully, “If you can keep your plans a secret, then so can I.”

His overly dramatic sigh in response had her fighting a smile. “Well now, that’s just not the same thing; I’ve been planning the perfect date for us for _years_ , after all.”

“ _What_?” Chancing a glance away from the road, she gaped briefly at him, wondering wildly what he was talking about. _Years_? How could that even be possible? He’d just asked her out not a week ago!

She caught sight of him shifting uncomfortably in her peripheral vision, and he cleared his throat before explaining with an awkward laugh, “Ah well, I meant for that to be funny, but…” Releasing a heavy sigh, he explained, “I was…I’d planned on asking you out, y’know, after…the wedding. But, when you didn’t show up at Bobbi and Hunter’s…”

Even though she saw him shrugging it off as nothing, Jemma couldn’t even begin to form a response to his admission. Fitz had wanted to ask her out for almost two years? Fitz had been romantically interested in her for _that_ long? But, because of her and her ridiculous need to avoid situations that pushed her too far out of her comfort zone or embarrassed her, situations that she couldn’t control, he never even had the chance.

Just then, her mind began to race as she imagined what it would’ve been like if they’d been together this whole time. Things could’ve been so _different_ …

“Jemma?” Fitz called her name gently, dragging her out of her self-deprecating, downwardly-spiraling thoughts then. “It doesn’t matter, alright? We just…took the scenic route here, that’s all. I mean, maybe it was for the best that it happened this way. I’ve rather enjoyed getting to know you as a friend over the past year and a half.” He reached out to place a hand lightly on her arm, his skin instantly heating hers, and he went on, “The important thing is that we got here eventually.”

Forcing back all of the ‘what if’s and ‘might’ve been’s, Jemma eventually managed to nod in agreement. “That is what’s important, you’re right.” Despite her words, though, she couldn’t help the sharp feeling of loss deep in her gut. But, she pointedly ignored it, and focused instead on the happy feelings of earlier, of being on a date with Fitz, _finally_.

It wasn’t too much longer before they arrived at the restaurant she’d chosen previously, and when they’d been seated and had ordered, a silence began to descend upon them. Every once and a while, they’d catch each other’s gaze and share shy, giddy smiles, and much to her disbelief, Jemma found that she almost felt _nervous_.

At that moment, they locked eyes accidentally, both their faces flaring bright red, then simultaneous laughter burst from them. “This is ridiculous, isn’t it?” Jemma asked, shaking her head. “We have a _child_ together, after all, it’s not like we’re strangers just meeting for the first time.” Gesturing across the small table toward him, she added incredulously, “I’ve seen you _throw up_ ; there’s not much else left, is there?”

Fitz gave her a mock-indignant glare, reminding her pointedly, “ _Evie_ threw up first, and it wasn’t _my_ fault.” Arching an eyebrow and chuckling he shot back, “And I’ve seen _you_ give birth, so.”

Laughter erupted from them once more, and when the mirth had faded a bit, Jemma questioned contemplatively, “What are you supposed to talk about on a first date when you already know each other completely?”

In response, he gave a clueless little shrug, then asked curiously, “Did you see the pictures Evie made with Gracie the other day?”

Jemma’s eyes widened and she nodded excitedly, leaning closer as she admitted, “I’d never realized that colorful scribbles could make me so proud!”

Chuckling and nodding in understanding, Fitz arched his eyebrows and confessed, “I’ve already got a folder full of ‘em.”

“Perhaps we should start some kind of scrapbook,” she offered thoughtfully, “for the ones that we don’t hang up on the refrigerator or frame for our desks, of course.”

“Yeah, and maybe I should send some to my mum. Seems like something she’d want to have.”

“Oh, you should, she’d _love_ that,” Jemma encouraged, before she added, “You know, I was actually talking to your mum the other day.” When Fitz raised a surprised, curious brow, she explained, “She was checking in on how my dad was doing, and then we ended up talking a bit about the holidays, since they’re coming up in a few months. What do you think of spending Christmas in Glasgow this year, then New Year’s in Sheffield?”

“But Oliver and Gracie would miss us terribly,” Fitz pointed out, his brow furrowing in concern.

Jemma frowned in thought, but it wasn’t long before the perfect solution occurred to her and she beamed excitedly at him. “Why don’t we have your mum come to Sheffield to join us, then? My parents have been dying to meet her, after all.”

“Well, that’s a wonderful idea,” he replied, though he still looked a bit unsure, “as long as your family doesn’t mind, that is.”

She was quick to wave away his concerns. “It’ll be fine; my family welcomes in just about everyone. Besides, it’ll be good for Evelyn to have all of her grandparents together – since she’s getting older, she’ll be starting to retain memories, and I want them to be of her family all together.”

Jemma had barely finished speaking when their waitress returned to their table, dropping their meals off. They both thanked her, but the young girl hesitated, then smiled and asked, “How long have you two been married?” Before either of them could manage a response, she went on, “It’s just always so nice to see couples still going out on date nights, even after being together for so long.”

As Jemma shared a surprised look with Fitz, all she could seem to think of was the woman in the grocery store all those months ago, the one that had also automatically assumed that she and Fitz had been a couple for some time. However, this time, she wasn’t being blindsided by feelings that she didn’t recognize for what they were, and instead she felt a slightly embarrassed but ultimately pleased blush heating her cheeks.

“We’re actually on our first date,” Fitz finally told the girl, giving her a small smile.

She flushed visibly, hastily apologizing, “Oh, I’m so sorry, I just thought…”

“It’s alright,” Jemma assured her gently, “it’s a completely understandable mistake to make. Truly, you have nothing to be sorry for.” As the girl apologized once more, then hurried back to the kitchen, Jemma turned back to Fitz, and they both dissolved into laughter yet again. Shaking her head in disbelief, she asked wryly, “We’ve skipped right over new couple to old married couple, haven’t we?”

Still chuckling, Fitz replied, “I’m sorry to say that it appears we have, yes.”

Offering him a little smile, she shrugged one shoulder as she murmured, “That’s not the worst thing in the world, is it?”

His cheeks turned an adorable shade of pink as he shot her a tiny smile of his own across the table. “No, I suppose that it isn’t.”

-

After they’d finished their dinner, Jemma had suggested they take a walk through a nearby park to digest their meals. Though, she thought a bit absently to herself, her stomach seemed to be doing more than digesting just then, given the pleasantly squirmy feeling that had resided there ever since Fitz had taken her hand in his and laced their fingers together.

Out of the blue, Fitz broke the easy silence between them to say, “I can’t ever regret what happened between us at Bobbi and Hunter’s wedding, even though I know you’re supposed to regret the dumb decisions you make while you’re drunk, but…I dunno, I wish sometimes that we’d…done this all right.”

He sounded utterly guilty and defeated, and Jemma understood at once what he wasn’t saying – not that he could _ever_ regret having Evelyn, but that he’d wished they’d gone about the situation in a different way, what was considered to be the “right” way. “I know,” she murmured, giving his hand a supportive little squeeze, letting him know that he wasn’t the only one who occasionally had those thoughts.

Sighing softly, he clarified, “I know what I said earlier, and I still stand by it, but…but I imagine sometimes what it would’ve been like, y’know? I mean, I would’ve gotten your number from Hunter, if he didn’t give me too hard a time about, that is. I’d have called you a few days after the wedding, so that you’d hopefully still remember me, and I’d have asked to see you again. If you’d said yes, I would’ve taken you on that date. And, if you’d still be interested after, then I would’ve taken you on another and another and another until…perhaps, maybe, someday far in the future, Evelyn could’ve come along into a family that was ready for her, to parents that didn’t have to hide how they felt for the other or constantly worry about putting her at risk if they pursued said feelings.”

Her heart aching slightly in her chest at the wonderful idea of what could’ve been, Jemma admitted lowly, “I’ve thought about it too, Fitz. Sometimes, I feel truly awful for the situation we unknowingly brought Evelyn into, even though we made the most of it. But, most of the time, I just feel foolish for ever thinking that we could raise her as friends and have everything work out perfectly, that things wouldn’t get messy and…” She let her sentence trail off there with a quiet sigh, resting her cheek against his shoulder. “Despite all of that,” she finished in a murmur, “I’m still quite happy with where we ended up.”

“Me too,” he agreed, matching her tone, though he lowered his voice further to say, “I think, maybe…this was always where we were supposed to end up, that we really were fooling ourselves thinking that we could stay just friends.” Giving a little laugh, he gestured to her with their joined hands and added, “I mean, just _look_ at you.” Jemma laughed outright at that, burying her face in his shoulder. Once they’d quieted back down, though, he said seriously, “I don’t want to wonder about what could’ve been anymore, though. From this moment on, we should focus only on the here and the now, on the future that we _do_ have ahead of us. We should be happy with the fact that, despite the bumps in the road and all the hiccups, we’ve ended up here.”

Lips curving into a warm smile, Jemma nodded slightly against his shoulder. “I agree – no more thinking about the past and all the different decisions that we could’ve made. Evelyn’s a year old now, she’s growing and getting smarter with every passing day, and we’re together now, however that’s going to look in the future. We’re _all_ together, and we’re a family, and that’s all that I need.”

With a gentle squeeze of her hand within his, Fitz whispered, “Me too.”

-

When they arrived back at her parents’ house sometime later, it was mostly dark inside as they stepped through the front door, no one else left awake at the late hour. After Jemma had made sure to shut and lock the door behind them, she turned back around to face Fitz, only to find him _right there_ , and her breath caught in her throat.

Her back lightly hit the door, and she felt Fitz’s calloused palm cupping her cheek as her knees grew weak, making her glad that she had the solid door to support her weight. She’d been waiting to kiss him again for _months_ now, and she could almost swear that her lips were _aching_ to be pressed against his just then.

Bless him, he seemed to be waiting for her permission to make that final leap across the distance between them, even though they were raising their child together, even though they’d all-but agreed to spend the rest of their lives together, even though they’d spent the night talking about how much they’d wished to have been together sooner, and Jemma breathed, “Kiss me, Fitz.”

As her eyes were fluttering shut, she heard his breath hitch. Another moment passed, the space of a heartbeat, then she felt his lips brushing against hers in an achingly sweet, soft kiss. Her hands came up to clutch at the material of his shirt over his ribs, and she gave him a little tug, trying to pull him closer, asking for more – she wanted _all_ of him, because he was hers and she was his and she was tired of being apart from him.

Fitz broke away just a bit, just enough for her to feel his breath feathering against her lips, then he moved back in, tilting his head to catch her lips with a bit more force. Jemma made a pleased sound against his mouth as his lips parted over hers, the tip of his tongue tracing along her bottom lip. They hadn’t kissed like _this_ since the night of the wedding, and she’d almost begun to think that she’d built up his kissing skills in her memory. But _this_ was everything that she’d remembered and more, and it was _perfect_.

She leant into him, sliding one hand up his chest and along the curve of his shoulder, cupping the back of his head and tangling her fingers in his short curls, keeping him close (as though he had any intention of leaving, something she seriously doubted). As she tugged his bottom lip between both of hers, dragging her teeth along the sensitive skin, his free hand flew up to grip at her hip, then trail over it to clutch at the small of her back.

Just as Jemma was beginning to sneak her tongue past his lips to seek out his, to seek out his taste and his heat, a sharp but familiar cry broke through the pleasant fog currently filling her head.

She pulled back from him so quickly, her skull cracked against the door behind her, and she hissed in pain even as the cry sounded again. As a heavily-breathing Fitz reached up to gently caress the back of her head, he pointed out unnecessarily, “That’s Evie,” and he took a moment to try and catch his breath before he added, “She must’ve heard us coming through the door a few minutes ago.”

Nodding in wordless agreement, Jemma tried to slow her own breathing, fixing her dress where it had ridden up slightly. Reluctantly, she separated from him, then moved to climb the stairs to the second floor, going down the hall to Charlotte’s old bedroom. Through the half-open door, she could see her sister sitting on her bed, quietly trying to shush Evelyn back to sleep.

Knocking gently on the doorframe and stepping inside, Jemma informed her lowly, “We can take over from here. Thank you, Charlotte.”

Charlotte glanced up in surprise, then winced apologetically as she explained, “She woke up and I wasn’t either of you, so…” As Jemma shook her head to indicate wordlessly that it was alright, she handed Evelyn off to her. As Evelyn’s cries almost immediately began to peter out, she asked, “How did it go tonight?” However, then her gaze strayed over Jemma’s shoulder and a smirk began to play on her lips. “Never mind, I can already see that it went pretty well.”

Confused, Jemma glanced over her shoulder, only to find that in the dim light of Charlotte’s room, it was easy to see the smudges of her lipstick around Fitz’s mouth. Heat surged through her cheeks, but despite the embarrassment, there was a smile tugging at her lips as she assured her sister, “It went _very_ well, actually.”

-

When Jemma’s eyes opened the next morning, it was to the sight of early morning sunlight slanting through the blinds of her old bedroom. The space of the next few moments was more than enough for the events of the previous night to return to her, and she had to bite her lip against the grin that threatened to break through.

Rolling carefully onto her side, she caught sight of Fitz lying there beside her, still fast asleep with his head on his pillow, blankets tangled around his waist, and one arm flung protectively over where Evelyn had fallen asleep between them. For an indefinite amount of time, she simply gazed at the two people that she loved more than anything, and couldn’t feel anything but so, so _lucky_ to have them in her life.

After some time, however, she heard Fitz’s breathing change, and he shifted a bit on the mattress, then his eyes cracked open. His gaze flicked about the room sleepily, and when it finally met hers, she murmured, “Good morning.”

“’Morning,” he replied in the sleep-roughened voice that she was quite used to by now, but that hadn’t lost any of its affect on her despite that.

“I’m sorry for how we were interrupted last night,” she said suddenly, having spent quite a bit of time the previous night and just that morning wondering what would’ve happened if Evelyn hadn’t woken up wanting them, if their kiss had been allowed to go on even just a bit longer.

Carefully, Fitz lifted his hand away from Evelyn to wave away the apology, assuring her with a low chuckle, “Doesn’t matter, it was still perfect. And besides, how many people can wake up after a first date with _said_ date and their gorgeous daughter?”

Smiling playfully, Jemma admitted, “Not many.”

Finding her hand over Evelyn’s back, he told her warmly, “Really Jemma, I had a great time last night.”

“Me too,” she replied, lowering her voice to a whisper as she went on, “Being with you…it’s made _everything_ so much better over the past year.”

“No,” Fitz disagreed, giving a little shake of his head, “that’s all you, Jemma. I didn’t _have_ a life before I met you; it was all work and spending nights alone in my flat or maybe sometimes going out with Hunter when he wouldn’t take no for an answer, but…but that wasn’t much of a life, was it? You…you just make everything better, brighter, more…brilliant, just by being with you.” His eyes grew soft then, but also…heated in a way that had Jemma’s insides knotting up in a strange and wonderful way, had her breath coming with a bit more difficulty. “I love you, Jemma.”

Sucking in a sharp breath, Jemma could feel tears building in her eyes almost instantaneously at the words she’d been wanting to hear for so long now, the words that she was desperate to let out of her own heart. She squeezed his hand perhaps a tad more tightly than she would have normally and laughed tearfully. “I love you too, _oh_ , I love you, Fitz.” She really, truly, never wanted to be apart from this man again, the feeling stronger than it had ever been, and…and then she added in a rush, “Move in with me.”

Fitz was clearly startled by the abrupt proposal, and asked bewilderedly, “What?”

Letting out another watery laugh at herself, at the mingled joy and nerves inside of her, she explained hurriedly, “Your lease is ending soon, isn’t it? Give your notice to your landlord, move your things to mine, just… _move in with me_. You practically live there already, and it just makes more sense and…and I love you, I want you to be there, always. I want you with me and with Evelyn, I want us to be a family, finally, completely.”

A shaky breath left his lips, then his whole face seemed to light up as he carefully leaned across Evelyn to kiss Jemma, lifting their joined hands to rest against her cheek. Lips still pressed to hers, he whispered, “Of course, of course yes, I _love_ you.”

The disbelieving laughter that spilled from them then seemed to be enough to wake Evelyn, who was tired and grumpy as she usually was in the mornings, cuddling up against her mother’s side to try and prolong her sleep. But, Fitz just scooted closer across the mattress, wrapping his arms around them both, and Jemma had never in her life felt happier, had never felt more like she was where she belonged than she did in that moment.

What she could no longer believe was once the worst mistake of her life she could now see had actually been the first step to finding true happiness, and as Jemma pressed her cheek to Fitz’s chest to hear his heart beating and stroked Evelyn’s soft cheek with her fingertips, she knew that after spending so long hiding and struggling and hurting, she was finally _home_.

**Author's Note:**

> You can also find me on tumblr - I'm theartofbeinganerd over there as well!


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